ROCK star Zaw Win Htut listened in horror to news of the devastation from the delta region. The stories following Cyclone Nargis were so terrible that he says he almost did not believe they could be true.

Filled with sympathy, he and some friends set out for the storm-tossed Bogale Township on May 5, passing through Maubin and Pyapon on the way. Although they were laden with food and clothes, they were unsure how best to help. Part of their mission was to see first-hand the conditions, comfort the survivors and see what could be done in the future.

“We thought, ‘How can we know what they need if we don’t see and meet them.’,” Zaw Win Htut told The Myanmar Times on his return to Yangon. “When we reached Bogale, homeless people were still coming to the hospitals, the refugee camps and monasteries. The scene was so miserable, it touched me greatly. A lot of people were cramped in poor conditions and some were sick and injured.”

He gave the victims what he brought, listened to their sad stories and reassured them help was on the way.

“The stories they told me were tragic. While we were talking, I saw a young man sitting on the floor crying his eyes out. He had lost his parents, wife and five children. He was the only survivor in his family.”

“Another man said he carried his child on his back in the storm and heard his child call out to him – only the child wasn’t on his back.”

He says the refugees need many things, especially for their health.

“But these are not so serious problems in Bogale because there are a lot of temples and monasteries to house people temporarily and we Myanmar also share what we have with others less fortunate. And they also are getting aid from both local and international organisations. I also found that some residents in the town are sharing their food with the victims.”

The main problem, he said, is the sanitary conditions in the town. “Often there are no toilets. So, I’m afraid the combination of overcrowding and poor sanitary conditions will lead to diseases in Bogale in the long run.”

For this reason, he sent a hundred ready-made toilets to Bogale township and he is also planning to send another five hundred toilets to Labutta township.
Zaw Win Htut says the freak nature of the cyclone contributed to the scale of the disaster and why there were so many casualties.

“It’s not unusual for storms to strike the south-west of the country but we have never experienced anything like this before. People from the delta area often move from place to place to earn their living and this means they don’t have permanent place to dwell. Even if they knew about the storm warnings, they wouldn’t have been able to protect themselves or move to another places,” he says.

From hearing the stories of the survivors, he says the massive tidal surge was responsible for many of the deaths.

“Being a delta area, people there are familiar with water since they are born. Even most children can swim very well. But when the tide rose to about 12 feet, they couldn’t do anything and they didn’t even have a place to run. Women and children were the least likely to survive.

“And the worst thing is that they lose the fertile land, which is their main source of income, because the tide also took away the soil and the areas are still filled with sea water. This is a great loss.”

He says it will be difficult for the survivors to restart their lives. “Most of them are farmers. But at present, they have no farms, cows or anything. They come the refugee camps empty-handed. Some of them have no clothes.

“And they are also suffering severe depression and grief. I have seen some people who have no will to live. They are still in a state shock of and they can’t even speak a word, they’ve lost their family, relatives and friends; it’s just a terrible loss of human life.

Zaw Win Htut says he is also planning to donate tools to assist people get their lives back together.

“I’m collecting hammers, axes and saws, which are essential tools for people to again earn a living. In our country, there is plenty of bamboo and trees so it isn’t hard to build houses. It is not difficult for them to earn a living if they have the will. But they are so depressed that they can’t even lift a saw. So we also have to strongly encourage them to begin thinking, ‘Let’s start again’.”

He also urges those who escaped the worst of the cyclone to support the victims in any way the can.

“We have to face the consequences of the disaster. We need to help them resettle but this not only means providing building materials but also encouraging survivors to start their new lives.”

To regain any sense of normality everyone must help out, he says.
“One person cannot achieve this but it can be done together. We also can’t achieve this without cooperation – all groups have to participate and collaborate with each other to help those suffering and in need. It is important that we treat them humanely, with care.”

It might seem like there is nothing worse than the present situation. But Zaw Win Htut believes we must plan and contribute to a better future, for the calm after the storm.