Make well preparations against natural disasters

MYANMAR experiences climate change impacts every year. Due to climate change, natural disasters fre­quently occur. Heavy rainfalls, strong winds, lightning, thunderstorms, landslides, and flooding trigger difficulties for the public. As these are no longer isolated incidents but recur­ring annual occurrences, the public must make preparations in advance to prevent and reduce the impact of natural disasters.

Within the next few days, the southwest monsoon is expect­ed to begin entering the southern parts of Myanmar. The early monsoon period is a time when natural disasters are likely to occur. Due to the impacts of global climate change, natu­ral disasters may occur more frequently and with greater intensity. Due to the geo­graphical conditions of My­anmar, people have to take care of the likelihood of dam­age and losses when natural disasters occur.

In Myanmar, the peak periods for cyclones are the pre-monsoon season from mid-April to May and the post-monsoon season dur­ing October and November. When cyclones occur, they can bring three types of destructive forces: strong winds, heavy rainfall, and storm surges caused by the cyclone. Storm surges can become particularly high and may travel inland through coastal rivers. Moreover, heavy rainfall can cause river flooding, runoff from moun­tain areas, and flash floods.

Flash flooding occurs when heavy rainfall in upper river regions or highland areas causes a sudden and massive flow of water, which then erodes and destroys areas along its path. In the upper central regions of Myanmar, some streams have remained dry for many years, leading people to build houses and live around those stream areas. When sudden flooding occurs, those living in such places can suffer loss of life and property.

Among severe weather changes, lightning strikes have also been occurring more frequently. It is reported that in some countries around the world, lightning strikes have caused deaths among both humans and animals. In Myanmar as well, more than 100 people die annually due to lightning strikes, with injuries and deaths of cattle and other animals also occurring. During the pre-monsoon and post-monsoon periods, special caution should be taken against lightning from the afternoon until around 6 pm.

Weather conditions and unusual meteorological events occurring from day to day are being announced by the relevant authorities in a timely manner. At the same time, public aware­ness campaigns on disaster prevention and preparedness are being carried out through the media. As such, all members of the public are urged to anticipate the possibility of natural dis­asters and protect themselves through advance preparation and preventive measures.