On May 2nd, 2008 the tropical cyclone "Nargis" hit the coast of Myanmar southwest of the capital Rangoon causing major damages particularly in the Irrawaddy region. Wind speeds of more than 200km/h and a storm surge of up to 3 meters in hieght destroyed more than 90 percent of housing and large part of infrastructure and agriculture in some areas. About 24 million people were affected and estimated 50,000-100,000 people were killed.
The map shoes the region west of Yangon with its normal water level derived from LANDSAT-7 ETM of November 7,2000 and inundated areas deducted from TerraSAR-X radar satellite imagery of May 8,2008. Inundated areas may also contain regions which were covered by water before the disaster due to the prevalence of wet-rice cultivation. The results are superimposed on LANDSAT-7 ETM imagery of November 7, 2000.
Survivors take shelter while waiting for first aid treatment is seen at one of Cyclone Nargis' worst-hit areas in the town of Labutta, 120 km (75 miles) southwest of Myanmar's biggest ...
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