Cyclone Nargis and talk of climate change

International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Socities: For years now, cyclones have pummelled the western seafront of Myanmar. Disaster preparedness and response measures focused on that part of Myanmar, guided by a historic sequence of events. That changed when a cyclone shifted substantially from its usual path and washed away 115 townships living eastward along the coastal delta region of Myanmar. The cyclone went inland to devastate and rearrange 35 kilometres of Myanmar’s topography.

…There is an amplified intensity of tropical cyclones in Asia that continue to wreck havoc among mostly vulnerable communities. A case in point is tropical cyclone Sidr, which devastated Bangladesh in 2007. Major hydro-meteorological emergencies such as Hurricane Katrina and other tropical cyclones and floods have raised concern.

…According to the Red Cross/Red Crescent Climate Guide, published by the Red Cross/Red Crescent Climate Centre in The Netherlands, no single disaster or strange weather event can be immediately said to be caused by climate change. “Most extreme events could occur even without climate change, although they would not be so likely to happen,” the guide notes, and adds: “What we can say is that a particular event fits the pattern of rising risks due to climate change.

“Climate change itself will create complex disasters: rising sea levels combined with more intense storms will lead to much more destructive storms surges, and droughts that are rapidly succeeded by floods and insect plagues will be more devastating.”

…The Myanmar emergency solidifies the message that has constantly been echoed by the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement and other humanitarian agencies - that the need for disaster preparedness mechanisms and early warning systems cannot be overemphasized. The global changes in weather patterns need to be dealt with as a matter of urgency.

…There has been a remarkable growth in the development of forecasts that can help in cyclone predictions and reduce the impact of disasters. Wide scale destruction from disasters has been mitigated through technological advances.

NASA shot this image of Cyclone Nargis making landfall in Myanmar