The Delta Cyclone in Nargis

 

            “My name is xxx. I stayed in xxx area. I am the leader of the xxx villages and also the farmer. And I also have one small truck. On 2 May 2008 morning about 9 am the wind started to blow softly and about 11 am and the wind started to blow a litter bit harder. And about 2 O’clock in the afternoon the wind blow harder and it started to rain. Because of it raining and the wind blow harder me and my workers we try to cover my truck. The wind blow harder even the roofing iron sheet, we have to hold it two and three person so that we can put nail on it. That time I send my son and daughter to the village to be with my sister. About 5 pm I went to the village to see my children and after I see them I came back about 6 pm at my place near the river. When I arrived my house I saw the roof of my house and truck and my storage was damage and even my house was not straight, the shape was moving.

            When I went back home about 6 pm while on our way with my two friends, we can’t walked on the road because of the heavy storm we were swept to the river side. I tried hard to get back to the road and I was alone at that time I can’t find my friends any more. I can’t walk on the road and face the storm so I have to go to the river and try to escape that way. When I reached the church I met my family and other people and there we started to pray hard. About 7 pm the Nargis cyclone was getting stronger and the youth came to us and tell us that some of the houses in the village were destroyed and the trees were broke down so some of us stayed in the church and some that their house were not destroyed they just stayed at their house. After about 8:30 pm the storm stop at that time the water camp up very fast and the children and sister house till the house was full. The children were started to cry very loud and after I send them back to my sister house I came back to the church. I called my friends and we arrange the chairs and put on the stage in the church and we let the elders and the children stayed at the stage to put them higher and the ceiling of the church height about 15 feet and some children we put them there. After that about 5 hours later the level of the water getting higher about 6 feet and the cyclone started to come again and it’s started to rain. We have to close our eyes and we can’t see anything we just heart the sound of the storm and heavy wind. And a few minutes we were hit by the wave and me and my families and friends that stayed at the church my hands and me and my daughter we were at the other side of the church. At that time I was under water and I drank water and I remember in the time of Noah and I believe that we all would die. When I was under the water at my other hand I lifted my daughter high above the water. Even I can’t breath but I want my daughter that she can breath. But later my daughter told me she’s also drank water and also stayed under the water. When I stay under the water and can’t hold my breath any more I try to move my head above the water so I can breath. I was under the water and swept by the water and my cloth was stick with some branch and I hold it strongly. I also told my daughter to hold my neck tide and we stayed under the storm and wave about 3 hours at that time my and my daughter we prayed to God. God take care of us so about one O’clock in the morning the storm and raining started to stop and water also going down. About 3 O’clock in the morning we can step down on the earth now and sat down. When the cyclone came I don’t know where my son was, if he still alive or not we do not know. But after the cyclone stop and we try to look for each other called each other names and one girl she recognized my voice so she told me your son was with me and he’s cry and look for you all the time. I’m very happy and thanks God for sparing my life and my children. While the cyclone was happened my wife and my elder son went to visit my father in law after two days I went to see them and I saw them they were safe and were okay.

            The next day after the cyclone we were not happy that we saw many died. When I see the housed were destroyed and buildings were broken that’s okay with me but we lost our friends and the villagers and the dead bodies were all over the village. I can’t buried them all and some I just placed them like that, I have no strength. For two days we have to drink water. The third day we started to dig some well and drink clean water but not too deep well. My dear mother, my sister, my niece, my nephew and my other two sisters and others all 15 people were lost in the Nargis cyclone.

            After the Nargis cyclone the next day we hope that the government will come and help us. Our hopes pass day by day without seeing the help from the government. We saw the ship of the fisher men and were very happy when we went to see them we thought they were sent by the government to come and bring us food. But when we talk with them they said their company asked them to be back so they came back. So we asked them to send us message to xxx port because of the cyclone we can’t go anywhere. We stayed in the village about 7 to 8 days and the people that have relative in other village they went to their relative. We decided that we will still in the village but we can’t stay longer in the village because of the dirty water, the rice was wet and bad smell, no salt so we have to leave the village. At that time I heard in xxx the Christian leaders there came and take us so on 8 May 2008 I send my wife, children and the villagers about 20 people to xxx through my friends in xxx. After I send them I took some villagers with me and on 9 May 2008 we all moved out from our village, we can’t stayed in the village any more and we also don’t have any food in the village. “We didn’t receive any helps from the government.” 

            When we arrived in xxx the xxx welcome us and help us very well. I stayed there for 2 days and I don’t have anything to do. So I feel like I need to find some work in Rangoon. When I arrived in Rangoon I heard my sister in Australia want to see me, so we talked on the phone and said that she will help me and our families and if I want to come and stayed in the Thai and Burma border. And when even we are in trouble she always help us so I talked to my wife and we come up to the border. When I count about the lost in our village in our Karen Christian families we lost about 311 people in the village that include my dear mother. We do not know about the Burmese, we estimate was more than 50 people altogether the Karen and Burmese that died about 360 and we don’t know about in the other village.

            On 3 June 2008 is the day that I can’t forget. We arrived in the border safely with the protection and blessing from God. When we arrived at the border the leader here help us and take care of us very well and give us encouragement. And their words of encouragement help us a lot. So I thank the Lord for His Goodness and thank our leaders here in the border. May God bless you alls. “