Home > Cyclone Nargis in Burma :

Cyclone Nargis in Burma :

by Open-Publishing - Wednesday 7 May 2008

International Catastrophes

Cyclone Nargis in Burma :

Cyclone Nargis was suddenly monstrous - The Hurricane unexpectedly reached Category 4 strength ahead of landfall in Myanmar. After slowly churning through the Bay of Bengal without gaining significant strength – and without forecasters predicting that it would – Tropical Cyclone Nargis suddenly intensified into a monstrous Category 4 storm with winds of up to 132 mph. The last prediction had been for Nargis to make landfall as a Category 1 or Category 2 storm. (satellite photo)
 http://home.att.net/~thehessians/di...

5.4.2008 9:58 AM

The Aftermath of Cyclone Nargis in Myanmar

75% of Buildings in Some Towns Leveled; Death Count Uncertain

Assessing the damage to Myanmar, where a Category 4 hurricane, Tropical Cyclone Nargis, made landfall near the nation’s capital and largest city, Yangon, could take days or weeks, according to the United Nations.

State-run media published by the secretive and repressive military junta that rules the nation has said that three-fourths of the buildings in two towns, Laputta and Kyaik Lat, had been destroyed. Indian news quoted an anonymous official stating that 241 people were confirmed dead.

It is widely believed that buildings and infrastructure were catastrophically damaged throughout the Irrawaddy River delta region, where the cyclone struck after reaching Category 4 strength in the Bay of Bengal. By the time it hit the capital city, according to Reuters, the hurricane had lost strength, but remained a powerful Category 3 storm.

The hurricane developed early in the Bay of Bengal, but forecasts had predicted a Category 1 or 2 landfall until just hours before it hit land.

Assessing the damage is made difficult by the country’s relationship with the international community. Just Friday, President Bush approved further sanctions against Myanmar (Burma), according to the Associated Press, this time against state-owned companies, because they prop up "the nation’s military junta, which has been condemned by the international community for suppressing pro-democracy dissidents."

This is the second Category 4 hurricane to develop in the Bay of Bengal and make landfall in about six months. Like Cyclone Sidr, which struck Bangladesh, killing 3,000 and devastating the rice crop, the news media paid little attention to the storm until the damage was done. A massive international relief effort followed the Bangladesh cyclone, but that nation is also ruled by a government that participates in the international community, had worked for years to prepare hurricane evacuation procedures, and was generally credited with doing all it could to limit the damage from the deadly storm.

NASA Earth Observatory
Tropical Cyclone Nargis struck Yangon, the largest city in Myanmar (Burma) and caused extensive damage to other towns in the Irrawaddy River delta region.

Find this article at:
 http://www.thedailygreen.com/enviro...

5.3.2008 8:39 AM

Cyclone Nargis Trashes Myanmar’s Largest City

A Direct-Hit Category 4 Landfall Devastates Yangon

Tropical Cyclone Nargis made a direct hit on Myanmar’s largest city, Yangon, striking with Category 4 strength.

The hurricane developed early in the Bay of Bengal, but forecasts had predicted a Category 1 or 2 landfall until just hours before it hit land.

There is little news about the damage, which is little surprise given the repressive military regime’s tight grip on control in the underdeveloped agrarian country. Just Friday, President Bush approved further sanctions against Myanmar (Burma), according to the Associated Press, this time against state-owned companies, because they prop up "the nation’s military junta, which has been condemned by the international community for suppressing pro-democracy dissidents."

The most extensive reports came from Chinese and Indian news services, which described extensively damaged buildings, cars and infrastructure, but did not have information about death and injuries.

This is the second Category 4 hurricane to develop in the Bay of Bengal and make landfall in about six months. Like Cyclone Sidr, which struck Bangladesh, killing 3,000 and devastating the rice crop, the news media paid little attention to the storm until the damage was done. A massive international relief effort followed the Bangladesh cyclone, but that nation is also ruled by a government that participates in the international community, had worked for years to prepare hurricane evacuation procedures, and was generally credited with doing all it could to limit the damage from the deadly storm.

NASA Earth Observatory
Tropical Cyclone Nargis struck Yangon, the largest city in Myanmar (Burma), with Category 4 strength.

Find this article at:
 http://www.thedailygreen.com/enviro...

5.2.2008 7:44 AM

Cyclone Nargis Suddenly Monstrous

Hurricane Unexpectedly Reaches Category 4 Strength Ahead of Landfall in Myanmar

After slowly churning through the Bay of Bengal without gaining significant strength – and without forecasters predicting that it would – Tropical Cyclone Nargis has suddenly intensified into a monstrous Category 4 storm with winds of up to 132 mph, according to the latest data from the Joint Typhoon Warning Center.

The latest warning chart published shows the hurricane hours from landfall in Myanmar.

There are scant new reports about the storm, so it’s difficult to verify the information from the Joint Typhoon Warning Center. Most reports are out of neighboring Bangladesh, where there is relief that the storm will not make a direct hit. Just months ago, Bangladesh was devastated by a Category 4 hurricane, Cyclone Sidr, which killed thousands, affected millions and decimated the nation’s rice crop.

The last prediction was for Nargis to make landfall as a Category 1 or Category 2 storm. The latest information shows a sudden jump in intensity.

The chart below shows that at the point marked by the time 02/06Z (6 GMT on May 2) Nargis had sustained winds of 115 knots (132 mph) with gusts of up to 140 knots (161 mph). Even after making landfall, it is expected to remain at Category 2 strength for a time, with winds above 100 mph.

Joint Typhoon Warning Center

Find this article at:
 http://www.thedailygreen.com/enviro...

4.29.2008 12:04 PM

Tropical Cyclone Nargis Will Strike Myanmar

Downgraded, Storm Will Still Reach Category 2 Strength

It is now much less likely that Tropical Cyclone Nargis will reach Category 4 strength in the Bay of Bengal before striking Myanmar, according to the latest forecast from the Joint Typhoon Warning Center.

The storm already weakened from a Category 1 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson scale to a tropical storm. It is, however, expected to regain strength and strike Myanmar, formerly Burma, as a Category 2 hurricane with sustained 97 mph.

The cyclone is no longer expected to approach Bangladesh, where last year Cyclone Sidr struck with such force that thousands died, the nation’s rice crop was decimated, and millions were evacuated.

A Category 2 hurricane is nothing to sneeze at, of course, but "major" hurricanes are considered those that reach Category 3 strength or higher.

The decline of the storm is evident in satellite imagery from Tuesday (top) and Wednesday (bottom).

Joint Typhoon Warning Center
Tropical Cyclone Nargis is, as of Tuesday, a tropical storm on its way to a Category 2 landfall in Myanmar.

Joint Typhoon Warning Center
Tropical Cyclone Nargis was a Category 1 hurricane on its way to a Category 4 landfall Monday.

Find this article at:
 http://www.thedailygreen.com/enviro...

4.28.2008 11:16 AM

Tropical Cyclone Nargis: Get Ready for the Worst

A Very Warm Bay of Bengal Means Cyclone Nargis Will Hit Hard – Somewhere

We all remember (I hope) November’s Cyclone Sidr, the deadliest global hurricane in a decade, which killed more than 3,000 people after making a powerful landfall in Bangladesh. After that, you would think this vulnerable region would get a break – but Cyclone Nargis may have other ideas.

This storm, which formed over the weekend, is now a Category 1, and the official forecast right now is for steady intensification up to Category 4 at least. No one is sure where the storm will make landfall, but India, Bangladesh, and Burma/Myanmar all have worrying to do.

Joint Typhoon Warning Center

What’s most troubling is that Nargis has a very warm Indian Ocean to travel over, as you can see in this data from the Atlantic Oceanic and Meteorological Laboratory:

AOML SST

And according to the Joint Typhoon Warning Center, there’s nothing else in the atmosphere ocean system that will interfere with Nargis either – as the agency predicts, "THE STORM WILL INCREASE IN INTENSITY THROUGHOUT THE FORECAST PERIOD DUE TO FAVORABLE OCEAN HEAT CONTENT, LOW VERTICAL WIND SHEAR, AND GOOD POLEWARD OUTFLOW."

Much of the world has been relatively quiet of late for hurricanes – but it’s important to bear in mind that that has not been the case for the North Indian region. First came 2007’s shocking Category 5 Arabian Sea cyclone, Gonu; then came Sidr; and now, here’s Nargis. This puts me in mind of my last post, about Kerry Emanuel’s most recent work: It suggests that in our changing world, the different hurricane basins of the world will respond very differently to climate change. Storms may also be fewer, but stronger when they do occur.

Right or wrong, that’s a prediction that will certainly resonate for the Indian Ocean region of late.

Find this article at:
 http://www.thedailygreen.com/enviro...

anti-cyclone technology
03:30:34 PM
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
Posted by: antihurricane
The new anti-hurricane technology is development. PCT/SK2006/000003 (WO/2006/085830) A METHOD OF AND A DEVICE FOR THE REDUCTION OF TROPICAL CYCLONES DESTRUCTIVE FORCE
 http://www.ahtfund.org

 http://www.thedailygreen.com/enviro...