Interview with storm victim in Rangoon

Nam Davies

Tuesday, 06 May 2008 20:31

New Dehli – Nam Davies, Mizzima reporter, interviewed a Chin woman victim of the cyclone taking shelter at the 'Full Gospel' church in Insein, Rangoon. She lost her home in the tropical cyclone Nargis which devastated Burma with wind speeds of over 120 mph. Here is the excerpt of the interview. Q: How many members are there in your family? A: Me, my husband and three children. Q: What happened to your home? A: An uprooted tree fell on our home. It was totally destroyed and could not be repaired. Even the posts of my home fell down. My youngest child is only 10 months old and my husband is paralysed. We can do nothing now and face a bleak future. We have nothing to eat for tomorrow.  Q: How many people are taking shelter in the church? A: About 80 people.  Q: What happened to their homes? A: Uprooted trees fell on their homes too. The posts of their houses collapsed. They have no other place to take shelter.  Q: Have any family members been lost in the storm? A: No, God protected us.  Q: What is the church providing you, food, shelter etc? A: No one can arrange food for us. We must manage our own food.  Q: What kind of house will you rebuild? A: The pastors said they could not yet say anything about it, but for the time being, they told to us to sleep on the concrete floor.  Q: Does everyone sleep on the concrete floor? A: Some have homes, some can repair their homes and some can rebuild their homes. But we cannot rebuild our home as we have three small children and can do nothing and there is no one for us to rely on. Q: How old are you? A: I am 35. Q: Are any organizations or local authorities giving any assistance to you? A: No, nothing. Q: Haven't your ward elders come to assist you? A: No, no one came. We can't get anything free of charge.  Q: How will you prepare for your family's livelihood? What will you do with your house? A: We are living here and having meals of boiled rice after buying 2 tins of rice. We do not have any meal when we cannot buy anything.  Q: How are other people in the church managing ? A: Some have work and some are living afar.  Q: How much will you have to spend for rebuilding your home? A: It will cost Kyat 70,000 even for a thatched-roof hut.  Q: When did your home collapse and when did the uprooted tree fall on your home? A: The storm started at about 10 p.m. on Friday. We had nowhere to go so we just sat at home. Our church has been damaged by the storm and all the wooden walls blown away. The roof was ripped off. We built a makeshift shelter beside the church.  Q: Are there any outside assistance given to you? A: No. Q: What's your name? A: Daw Nan Bung. Q: Where are you from? How long have you been in Rangoon? A: I came from Kalay Myo. I'm Tiddim Chin and I've been here for about one year. < Prev   Next >