Why The Cyclone in Myanmar Was So Deadly
National Geographic has a detailed analysis on what happened in Myanmar with a ton of photos, background, and technical information. Well worth a read.
Packing winds upward of 120 miles an hour (193 kilometers an hour), Cyclone Nargis became one of Asia’s deadliest storms by hitting land at one of the lowest points in Myanmar (also called Burma) and setting off a storm surge that reached 25 miles (40 kilometers) inland.
“When we saw the [storm] track, I said, ‘Uh oh, this is not going to be good,’” said Mark Lander, a meteorology professor at the University of Guam.
“It would create a big storm surge. It was like Katrina going into New Orleans.”
“Cyclone” is the name given to a hurricane when it occurs in the northern Indian Ocean or, as is the case with Cyclone Nargis, the Bay of Bengal.
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