Field Survey of Storm Surge Disaster due to Cyclone Nargis in Myanmar

Abstract

Field surveys were performed in the Yangon River Basin to learn lessons out of severe disasters due to Cyclone Nargis. It was found that the tide due to the storm surge was up to 3-4m around 50 kilometers upstream of the river mouth of Yangon River. According to interviews with the local residents, it also appears that significant flooding took place at inland areas as a result of the upsurge through the tributaries or channels from the main river. Apart from the nvestigation, the tracks for the present and past cyclones (1945-2007) have been analyzed based on a string of best track data. The results reveal that quite a small number of cyclone (roughly 2 times on average every 10years) have hit the southern coast of Myanmar compared to the number of cyclones that hit the coast of Bangladesh, and that the route that Nargis traced is rather unique.