Tropical Cyclone Nargis — The Aftermath

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Will update with latest news on the aftermath of Very Severe Cyclonic Storm Nargis, which hit Burma (Myanmar) last weekend.

Latest news coming in around 1200 UTC on Tuesday May 6 is that both state radio and opposition sources have the death toll around 22,000 — with state radio saying another 41,000 are missing. This makes Nargis the deadliest cyclone this millennium, and it’s been deadlier than all Atlantic hurricanes in history if you count the missing as dead.

The military junta in Naypyidaw has called for international aid — a rare event, considering it refused aid after the 2004 tsunami — and the United States already has aid on the way, pending Burmese approval. Singapore has also reportedly sent aid in the region of US$200,000.

The junta has postponed a referendum on a new junta-drafted constitution to May 24 in the affected regions, although the rest of the country will still go to the polls on May 10. However, this could be the catalyst for some serious changes in Burma.

Will update with more news as it breaks.