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   FancyEnglish        Devastation in Myanmar  2       课件首页

        May 7, 2008

(CNN Student News) -- May 7, 2008 Devastation in Myanmar - See what life is like for a family whose house was leveled by Cyclone Nargis. Fast Facts SOSA: Time for some Fast Facts! Myanmar is located in southeastern Asia, and it borders India, China and Thailand. The country used to be known as Burma, and it gained its independence from the United Kingdom in 1948. A military junta, or council, took control of the government around 20 years ago and changed the country's name to Myanmar. According to the United Nations, Myanmar is among the 20 poorest countries in the world. Devastation in Myanmar AZUZ: If you've been watching our show this week, you know Myanmar is struggling through the aftermath of Cyclone Nargis. It's the deadliest natural disaster to hit the country in recorded history. The government-run radio station says more than 22,000 people were killed and more than 40,000 are missing. According to the U.N., up to one million people could be homeless. The destruction is overwhelming. In part of one city, 369 houses were standing before the storm. Now, only four remain. Dan Rivers has more on the devastation caused by the cyclone and the harsh conditions one family of survivors is facing. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) DAN RIVERS, CNN REPORTER: This family is typical of those who have survived Cyclone Nargis. They're living in what remains of their house. But as you can see, it has been completely destroyed. A lot of their possessions got swept away. They have some food. You can see they have some eggs and rice that have been handed out by people in the town, but not very much. They say it will allow them to eat for a few days. But just have a look at the level of destruction over here. This is typical right across this region we've driven through. Bogalay district is one of the hardest hit. There is talk of 10,000 people having been killed in this district. And many of these houses are made of this very flimsy material, which is no match for Cyclone Nargis. We have passed quite a lot of army convoys coming down here. Obviously, the authorities are doing what they can. The Red Cross has been out here as well. But generally, every single house that we've passed pretty much has been like this, I guess, for the past 30 kilometers; just total destruction. Almost 100 percent of the houses completely flattened. The weather system is pretty bad as well. There have been some pretty heavy rainstorms. So, it's just miserable for these people to survive under a bit of tarpaulin and gather what food they can. Dan Rivers, CNN, southern Myanmar. (END VIDEO CLIP) Impact Your World AZUZ: Many countries and organizations are already working to get aid to the victims of the cyclone. But a growing number of individuals are taking part in the relief efforts, too, and you can join them. Log on to CNN.com/impact to find out what you can do to help and how you can impact your world.

    

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