Tragic disaster retold by two villagers

Mizzima News

Friday, 09 May 2008 22:15

[ Interview ] The devastating tropical cyclone 'Nargis' and subsequent tidal waves struck the villages in Labutta Township on May 2. Two lucky survivors retold Mizzima their tragic stories, how their family members perished in the storm and the hardships they are facing. Ma Ei Lay (12) Chanthagyi village No. 1 Labutta Township "I arrived at Labutta in the morning. It took me 4 to 5 days for a 10-mile journey. I walked. There's no relief operation here. The authorities are sending all survivors to the nearby township, Myaungmya. They said they would not set up a rescue and relief centre in Labutta. We must find and stay at friends' and acquaintances' residences". We learnt that all the survivors will be sent to Myaungmya by LID 66. The soldiers threatened to kill the villagers if they don't obey their orders." "I've been in Rangoon for just two days. Many people lost their lives in one night. It's awful and horrible. My parents died. The storm ripped off the roof and flung it away. I was hanging from a tree. When I regained conscious, I jumped to the ground and found many corpses in the paddy fields. I waded through the corpses and came back to my village. I could not recognize my own village. Only some trees were left without leaves. "I had nothing to eat on my way to town. There was no shop selling food. All the roadside vendors raised prices. I had to overcome many hardships for four days on the way. I drank coconut milk. There was no water on the way. We had to cook rotten rice soaked in water by mixing it with coconut milk". "I feel extremely sad at losing all my family members, my mom, dad, brothers and sisters. I feel helpless. We lived with all relatives totaling about 40 before the storm. My family alone had 10 members". Ko Khin Maung (40) Chanthagyi village No. 1 Labutta "The situation is terrible. The whole village was lashed by the storm. Only one person is left in my family of 10. Nine were washed away by the waves even as I was dragging them. The storm was severe and terribly powerful. I can't find the remains of my family members."         "I have no relatives left in Labutta. All my family and relatives were washed away while we were sheltered in our own homes. We have never experienced such a powerful storm before. We never listened to the radio. The authorities must take all responsibilities for the tragic losses. They didn't make any announcement and or gave a storm warning to us. We were unprepared and had to suffer when the storm hit". "We knew only when the strong wind hit our village. We didn't expect such a severe storm. We had to take shelter together in one strongly built house. We didn't expect such high tidal waves. We could not do anything when the tidal wave  rushed in. All were washed away by the tide. All animals were washed away also". "We didn't get any assistance till we arrived at Rangoon on May 8. There was no relief, no aid at all. No one came and rescued us. We rescued ourselves. There were 365 villages in our township in 56 village tracts. About 300 villages were washed away in the storm. According to statistics compiled by Konethedan ward in Labutta town, the number of storm victims touched 126,000 till May 4. The supplementary figure is not included in this preliminary figure. I didn't get even a bottle of drinking water as there was no relief and rescue operation". "Some people from Labutta town donated rice and broken rice. We had to prepare and eat gruel with these. We still don't have drinking water and other foodstuff. The health situation is deteriorating too. I learnt that three children died of cholera this morning when I contacted over telephone". A man from Labutta who requested not to be named "After the storm, there was acid rain. The acid rain caused skin burns and many people suffered. The outer layer of the skin burnt and the inner layer appeared unlike a  burn injury. Most of the storm victims are suffering from this acid rain skin burns, and an oily layer appeared on their burnt  skin. We can't drink even the rain water which has  become salty like seawater. There are about hundred acid rain victims. We are facing a lot of hardships". "The acid rain drops was like fire. We saw sparks when the raindrops hit bamboo groves. Most of the people lost their family members while they were clinging to each other. They were washed away one after another the surging tidal waves. Many people are traumatized and have a lost look on their face as if they are semi-unconscious. They lost all their belongings and the psychological effect is terrible". "The Light Infantry Division (LID) 66 picked up all storm victims and survivors and sent them to nearby towns when the victims arrived at Labutta jetty. The victims had to disembark at the jetty and boarded again other boats. They are sending the storm victims to Myaungmya, Pathein and Wakema". "Labutta town is crowded with the cyclone victims. There's no space for more victims in the 30 monasteries in the town. The schools are crowded too. The victims have to live in the roadside and on the platforms. There's no shade and shelter for them during daytime. The victims have nowhere to go as all the villages disappeared in the storm". < Prev   Next >