E-mails from inside Myanmar

Phone lines were cut and the Internet was down after Cyclone Nargis hit Yangon, the former capital of Myanmar. But as communications were restored, many Yangon residents inside took time to share their stories and observations. These are edited excerpts from some of their messages in the days following the cyclone.

— Jeff Hodson, former Seattle Times reporter now living in Thailand

From Y:

It was the longest night. Thunderous wind and rains destroyed the whole city and I saw roofs flying across the sky.

My son didn't cry. Poor boy bit his lips and tried to put his face in the pillow. The building was shaking and I thought our building could be swept away at any time.The next morning, we saw a city totally different from ours in the past.

We lost most of the big trees in our city.In the delta, hundreds of thousands people died.

I lost many of my relatives who lived in two twin villages in Dae Da Ye Township. Storm and tide swept the whole villages. Those villages I used to visit every year.

From A:

I am still alive.It was so terrible. I've never seen it before.At first, we didn't think it was too strong of a storm.

But about 12 midnight, it was windy and then violent. We could hear the sound ofwind, the roofs [being destroyed], the broken glass.

It is a bad dream for Myanmar people. I went to my sister's house on the top floor, but she's OK except for the roof and satellite.

At 2 p.m. the next day, I went out and saw everything was damaged. I couldn't recognize all the places. The big trees blocked the roads. There were no buses, no taxis, so I walked. I thought it was a war.

My neighbor's relatives live in Laputta township [in the Irrawaddy Delta] and all of them, 20 families, are dead. Some are missing. Many villages are destroyed.

From N:

I was deported by the police for taking pix of them burying dead bodies in the grave. They did not put the dead systematically; the liquid leaks everywhere. Imagine how unpleasant it is!

From K:

The notorious military government has a lack of knowledge on how to manage the disaster. That's why most aid sent from China, Thailand and Bangladesh is still in the warehouse.

According to a reporter who came back this morning from the delta region, thousands of dead bodies are still floating in rivers and lying in thefields. Most victims who were still alive after the storm were ignored.

From S:

All people's mind are destroyed.How can we help them? If you have any special idea, please share with me.