On the eve of the worst natural disaster in Myanmar’s recorded history, World Vision aid worker Gwe Gyi Lat* was on a bus traveling directly into the heart of the cyclone. This is his account of the harrowing journey.

It was too late to turn around. We were on a bus driving back to Yangon through its outskirts just as Cyclone Nargis began lashing the city.

Signs of destruction were already obvious. Trees were ripped from the ground, lying in a tangle across Myanmar’s main highway. A large telephone post was uprooted and tossed to the ground three yards away from our bus.

The bus driver and the passengers, including myself, felt it was best to press on into Yangon before the storm worsened.

A Sudden Shift
A day before the cyclone was due to hit, I had traveled to several communities in Myanmar’s Irrawaddy Delta to help them prepare for the super cyclone.

However, the storm suddenly shifted direction and began heading south toward Yangon. Myself and other World Vision staff decided to travel back to Yangon, trying to make it home before the storm made landfall.

Before long we were caught up in the middle of the cyclone’s wrath.

“Like Entering a Battlefield”

Trees, electric cables and telephone lines were chewed up and spit out all around us. Debris and branches carpeted the highway.

Our bus became the leader of a convey of trucks and other buses attempting to head into the city. Progress through the wreckage-strewn streets was slow. It took us three hours to drive a mere three miles. 

The journey to Yangon was like entering a battlefield with the wounded and dying lying on ground. Flood water filled the neighborhoods we passed.

Yangon had been excommunicated with no electricity. I wondered how news of the disaster was going to reach the outside world.

“An Apocalypse”

When we entered the town of Hmawbi, where World Vision runs an Area Development Program for children, I saw villagers beginning to make their way outside to assess the extent of damage around them.

As we approached the city we passed by Mingaladon Township, home to the Yangon International Airport. The conditions of the buildings were dismal. Trees and cable lines blocked the roads. Roof tops had blown off sturdy buildings and traffic lights were missing from their place.

Passengers on our bus were speechless. They didn't expect to see Yangon in such a disastrous condition.

A passenger beside me said, '' It's an apocalypse...It's totally an apocalypse."

I also felt hopelessness and started worrying for my colleagues in Yangon. No one imagined things could get this bad. When we finally reached the World Vision office, my heart felt as battered as the building looked.

Windows were shattered and broken glass was scattered everywhere. Flood water crept into the ground floor, destroying our bottom rooms. Our Internet was down and our generator was destroyed by a fallen tree.

Continuing Assessment

Since my arrival back in Yangon, we’ve been walking and driving around the city to check on staff and learn the extent of the damage. Yangon was hit very hard by Cyclone Nargis. People around here say they’ve never seen anything like it.