Cyclone Nargis It is the costliest storm in the Indian Ocean cyclone basin. The exact death toll from Nargis will likely never be known, but it was most likely one of the deadliest tropical cyclones in recorded history. Several international organisations have been approved to work within the country (either before or after) or otherwise supporting relief efforts: The Irrawaddy Delta is such a fertile area for rice growing that it was known as the "rice bowl" of the British Empire. Production was high enough that Myanmar could feed its citizens a high amount of rice (by the standards of Asia) with
Cyclone Nargis and there have been allegations that government officials stopped updating the death toll after 138,000 to minimize political fallout. The feared 'second wave' of fatalities from disease and lack of relief efforts never materialized. Damage was estimated at over K62,988,000,000 (US$10 billion), which made it the most damaging cyclone ever recorded in this basin. The first named storm of the 2008 North Indian Ocean cyclone season, Nargis developed on 27 April in the central area of Bay of Bengal. Initially, the storm tracked slowly northwestward, and encountering favourable conditions, it quickly strengthened. Dry air weakened the cyclone on 29 April,