Shelter and NFI cluster evaluation Cyclone Giri response

Comparable in strength to Cyclone Nargis, Cyclone Giri, category 4, made landfall in Rakhine State at 8pm, Friday, 22 October 2010. Two days prior the Myanmar Red Cross Society (MRCS) and Government began the early warning and evacuation of most residents either to higher ground, conveniently located within kilometers of the coast, or to strong buildings located close by. This early action most likely dramatically reduced the loss of life which was less than 100 persons - compared to over 100,000 only two and a half years before in Nargis. Immediately after the cyclone, the Government allowed MRCS, local NGOs and in situ INGO national staff, to make assessments and provide humanitarian assistance. However, similar to Nargis, international staff and new INGOs were not allowed to visit the area until nearly 2 months after (mid December).