Scenes from the Delta

Mizzima News

Saturday, 10 May 2008 19:11

Rangoon – A week after Cyclone Nargis slammed into the Irrawaddy Delta, the road to Daydaye reeks of rotting carcasses of animals and humans. The fields and roads around Daydaye – 42 miles (68 km) southwest of Rangoon – resemble a tinderbox of scattered wood and twisted iron. In the town itself, not a building escaped the wrath of the storm. Brick walls end in jagged lines, the interiors full of debris and dirt. "We have no hope," a teary-eyed middle-aged man said as he sat hunched on a plastic stool. Residents of Daydaye say up to 4,000 people may have died in the village, with at least that many missing. Witnesses said swells of water rushed over the embankment, above the chests of dockworkers, and swept away everything in its path. Some climbed trees to escape the rising floodwaters, with at least one woman losing her baby to the torrents below - blown away by the cyclone's gale. Others were swept down the road. Some were dragged to safety by people above. In a small village between Kunchangone and Daydaye, a roofless two-story house serves as home to 80 people. Most sought shelter after their own bamboo and thatched homes were destroyed by strong winds and heavy rains. More than 90 percent of the structures in this region are severely damaged. Some locals speak of rebuilding, but their new homes will be smaller. They say they cannot afford to replace what they lost. Some homeowners hang laundry from their roofless second floors. Many survive on rice gruel. Aid and relief supplies are beginning to arrive, and the Burmese Red Cross and local UNICEF teams are on the ground. A Red Cross station has been established in central Kunchangone and international aid agencies such as Medecins San Frontiere are treating the wounded. In Daydaye, rice, water, noodles and tents are arriving by the truckload - the tents emblazoned with the flag of the Peoples Republic of China. Units from Burma's army are active in mobilizing supplies and continuing to clear debris. < Prev   Next >