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Better Data Would Not Have Saved Burmese
Many people working in the geo-spatial industries take the view that more and better geographic data is an essential part of attempts to reduce the impact of natural disasters. Cyclone Nargis would have tested that belief.
Cyclone Nargis came ashore in the Irrawaddy Delta on 2-3 May, killing at least 133,000 people (according to UN estimates), and leaving more than a million homeless and in urgent need of assistance.
The storm surge was the major cause of the disaster. The cyclone hit the most populous and low-lying area of the country. As a result, seawater affected not only the coastal region, but also areas 30 to 40 km inland.
The World Meterological Organisation, the UN's meterological service, has issued a press release detailing the warnings that were issued by its observation networks and satellites to responsible authorities in Burma (Myanmar). The press release is an attempt to deflect criticism from Laura Bush, the wife of the US President, that meterological organisations failed to adequately warn Burmese authorities.
According to a WMO press release issued in Geneva, the Department of Meteorology and Hydrology of Burma (DMH) started to issue forecasts on Cyclone Nargis as of 27 April – several days ahead of landfall – on the basis of information provided through the WMO network.
'The DMH received accurate information on the cyclone from several WMO centres, in particular, the WMO Regional Specialised Meteorological Centres (RSMC) in New Delhi and the Singapore.
'Warnings were provided to authorities as of 29 April. A press briefing was given to national media on 1 May and newspaper headlines on 2 May, the day of landfall, focused on the cyclone.
'The New Delhi Office of the India Meteorological Department issued RSMC advisories every three hours between 27 April and 3 May. The first forecast of landfall was issued at 0600 UTC on 1 May (36 hours in advance of the actual landfall).
It seems that while the warnings were adequate, there was no plan in place for dealing with them. Indeed, while many critics have laid the blame for the death toll at the feet of ailing infrastructure and the ruling administration in Burma, there are many similiarities between Nargis and Hurricane Katrina, which struck the US city of New Orleans a few years ago.
There is nothing wrong with US infrastructure, but it shared with Burma two things: a lack of a meaningful disaster plan and a lack of political will. Nargis, like Katrina, shows that no amount of data can compensate for that.
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