Myanmar Hurricane Death Toll is Catastrophic

[AndyMarquisLIVE]

Official: Storm toll could be 100,000

YANGON, Myanmar - Bodies floated in flood waters and survivors tried to reach dry ground on boats using blankets as sails, while the top U.S. diplomat in Myanmar said Wednesday that up to 100,000 people may have died in the devastating cyclone.

Hungry crowds stormed the few shops that opened in the country's stricken Irrawaddy delta, sparking fist fights, according to Paul Risley, a spokesman for the U.N. World Food Program in neighboring Thailand.


Shari Villarosa, who heads the U.S. Embassy in Myanmar, said food and water are running short in the delta area and called the situation there "increasingly horrendous."


"There is a very real risk of disease outbreaks as long as this continues," Villarosa told reporters. Some 1 million people were homeless in the Southeast Asian country, the U.N. said.


State media in Myanmar reported that nearly 23,000 people died when Cyclone Nargis blasted the country's western coast on Saturday and more than 42,000 others were missing.


But U.N. humanitarian chief John Holmes said that the cyclone's death toll may rise "very significantly."

 

[nachomama]

And what was their first death toll count? 450?

 

[blacklabman]

I have been reading that the military junta won't let in rescue workers without a visa.

Let them all eat sea water.

 

[clevalley]

I have been reading that the military junta won't let in rescue workers without a visa.

Let them all eat sea water.

Last I heard the US was send $3M as aid... I would say $0 but that is me...

 

[smithchick231]

yea, i do sorta think they are a bit ignorant. if helps there-TAKE IT!

but is anyone else having a hard time wrapping their mind around the fake that a hurricane (esentially) wiped out that many people?

does it just come out of the blue with no warning?

 

[AndyMarquisLIVE]

yea, i do sorta think they are a bit ignorant. if helps there-TAKE IT!

but is anyone else having a hard time wrapping their mind around the fake that a hurricane (esentially) wiped out that many people?

does it just come out of the blue with no warning?

The people of Myanmar have no access to this sort of information, so yes. They've been cut off by their government. It's been going on all year, it's an out-of-control power hungry government. Our aid will do nothing, because the power brokers in Myanmar have no interest in helping the people.

 

[kwillia]

The people of Myanmar have no access to this sort of information, so yes. They've been cut off by their government. It's been going on all year, it's an out-of-control power hungry government. Our aid will do nothing, because the power brokers in Myanmar have no interest in helping the people.

FOXNews.com - U.N. Suspends Aid Shipments to Myanmar After Government Confiscates the Donations - International News | News of the World | Middle East News | Europe News

A U.N. official said Myanmar's junta has confiscated all the food and equipment that the World Food Program had flown into the country for cyclone victims.



On Friday, Japan said it will give aid worth $10 million through the U.N. to Myanmar, adding to the massive amounts of aid that has been pledged by foreign governments.

While accepting the aid, the isolationist regime of this Southeast Asian nation has refused to grant visas to foreign aid workers who could assess the extent of the disaster and manage the logistics.

Paul Risley, a spokesman for the U.N. World Food Program, said the organization has submitted 10 visa applications around the world, including six in Bangkok, Thailand, but that none has been approved.

 

[jenbengen]

What kind of evil people turn away Aid workers to help their own? That "government" of theirs needs to be overthrown somehow. They came into power by force and they are killing their own citizens. I sure hope this catastrophy unites the survivors enough to bring 'em down. Makes me ill.

It's hard to believe that there are countries still around that are ruled by militias who kill thousands of innocent lives.

 

[jenbengen]

I have been reading that the military junta won't let in rescue workers without a visa.

Let them all eat sea water.

They won't let in rescue people but say they will accept the goods. Crazy.
If there weren't so many poor kids there, it wouldn't break my heart so much.

 

[ImnoMensa]

That's 100,000 that they don't have to worry about controlling any more.
Sure they will accept the donations and use them among friends to live good while the others starve they wont let anyone in to help because they really don't care.

Meantime the goody two shoes in the world are complaining about a few terrorists in Gitmo who haven't had a pedicure in days, and accusing America of Rights violations.

Nothings changed just a few more victims of bad governments and the UN will forget about this tragedy in a few days and be back to normal bashing the USA.

 

[RadioPatrol]

Last I heard the US was send $3M as aid... I would say $0 but that is me...

Eff'm Let em ROT .... no money with out someone to see where it is going ....

scratch that ... no food and medical supplies ... with out watching distrabution

 

[eiregirl]

Governments in Denial

What kind of evil people turn away Aid workers to help their own? That "government" of theirs needs to be overthrown somehow. They came into power by force and they are killing their own citizens. I sure hope this catastrophy unites the survivors enough to bring 'em down. Makes me ill.

It's hard to believe that there are countries still around that are ruled by militias who kill thousands of innocent lives.

What kind of evil people turn away Aid workers to help their own?

Those evil people are in our own backyard! See 'Most Katrina Aid From Overseas Went Unclaimed' Most Katrina Aid From Overseas Went Unclaimed - washingtonpost.com and many, many other articles that describe how our stellar government turned away tons of international assistance, even though we sorely needed the help. I lived over in Europe at the time, and people there could not believe how arrogant our government was being, especially when we kept seeing the chaos down in New Orleans.

Question is: why haven't the American people demanded - and insisted - on better government over the last 8 years?

 

[AndyMarquisLIVE]

What kind of evil people turn away Aid workers to help their own?

Those evil people are in our own backyard! See 'Most Katrina Aid From Overseas Went Unclaimed' Most Katrina Aid From Overseas Went Unclaimed - washingtonpost.com and many, many other articles that describe how our stellar government turned away tons of international assistance, even though we sorely needed the help. I lived over in Europe at the time, and people there could not believe how arrogant our government was being, especially when we kept seeing the chaos down in New Orleans.

Question is: why haven't the American people demanded - and insisted - on better government over the last 8 years?