Cyclone Devastation in Myanmar (AFP/Getty Images)

BANGKOK, THAILAND (ANS) -- As many as 350 people are feared dead after a tropical cyclone with winds up to 150 miles per hour slammed into Myanmar over the weekend, according to local media reports.

Khin Maung Win with the Democratic Voice of Burma -- a broadcast media group run by opposition expatriates, told CNN, “We believe hundreds of people are dead. The entire lower Burma is affected. In some areas, entire villages disappeared.”

The activist group opposed the military rule in Myanmar, formerly known as Burma.

Relief

The British-based humanitarian agency Christian Aid said in a news release it is ready to respond, and its partners are assessing the situation.

Christian Aid said Cyclone Nargis was brewing in the Bay of Bengal for several days, but communities in the affected areas would have been unprepared due to a lack of early warning systems.

Christian Aid also said it has set aside an emergency grant, and is monitoring the situation closely.

According to a news release from the United Nation’s Integrated Regional Information Networks (IRIN), UN agencies and non-governmental organizations (NGO’s) are meeting to assess the situation and will work closely with the national Red Cross Society and the Ministry of Social Welfare, Relief and Resettlement, which is responsible for coordinating the response to natural disasters.

Michael Annear, Asia and Pacific Disaster Coordinator for the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), told IRIN from Bangkok that a joint IFRC and Myanmar Red Cross team was undertaking a needs assessment in Yangon on May 4. He said that on May 5, three Myanmar Red Cross teams will assess affected rural areas.

IRIN reported that the UN Development Program (UNDP) and the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) have field officers in place in Yangon and throughout the delta area. UN agencies and other humanitarian organizations have stockpiled food, water and medical supplies in various locations, including the delta region and Yangon.

UN officials said they anticipate an urgent need for plastic sheeting, water purification tablets, cooking sets, bed nets, emergency health kits and food.

IRIN said Cyclone Nargis continued to move northeast on May 4 into Thailand, though its effect is said to be lessening. Bangkok media reported that Thai navy ships rescued 302 stranded tourists from Surin island in the Andaman Sea, and the Thai meteorological office has issued a warning of possible flooding and landslides on May 5 in 16 provinces in the west and northwest of the country.

Effects of the Cyclone

CNN reported that the country’s ruling junta declared a state of emergency in five regions: the city of Yangon, Irrawaddy, Pegu and the states of Karen and Mon. All flights to Yangon, the former capital, were canceled.

Cyclone Nargis tore off roofs, uprooted trees and downed power lines.

The storm ripped through the river delta city of Yangon for more than 10 hours -- from Friday night until Saturday noon, CNN reported the Burma Democratic Concern stated.

By Sunday, CNN said, many parts of the city were without electricity. Phone connections were also down in most areas, making it difficult to assess the extent of the damage.

“Most Burmese with whom we've been in touch report they lost their roofs, although so far everyone we have been able to contact reports that they and their families are safe,” a Yangon-based diplomat speaking on condition of anonymity, told CNN.

Pictures from inside the country showed a cyclone-ravaged region with tin huts crushed under trees. Bicyclists navigated around large branches that littered the deserted roads, CNN reported.

A man with his pant legs rolled up waded through knee-deep water and strained to clear massive limbs that were blocking the entrance to a house.

“The cleanup is beginning, but this will take a long time,” the diplomat told CNN. “The damage around town is intense.”

“Fuel is not easily available. International emergency assistance would be needed within seven days. There is no food for eating,” Win told CNN.

Food prices -- already on a dramatic rise -- climbed further. CNN said that long lines could be seen at gas stations in Yangon. Many of the stations were operating on generators. At one gas station more than 100 buses lined up to refill.

“International emergency assistance would be needed within seven days,” the diplomat told CNN.

The junta has scheduled a May 10 referendum on a new constitution for the country, which came under sharp criticism from many nations for using force to suppress pro-democracy protests last year.

Jeremy Reynalds is a freelance writer and the founder and CEO of Joy Junction, New Mexico's largest emergency homeless shelter, http://www.joyjunction.org He has a master's degree in communication from the University of New Mexico, and a Ph.D. in intercultural education from Biola University in Los Angeles. His newest book is "The Face of Homelessness." Additional details are available at http://www.HomelessBook.com He lives in Albuquerque, New Mexico. For more information contact: Jeremy Reynalds at jeremyreynalds@comcast.net. Tel: (505) 400-7145. Note: A higher resolution JPEG picture of Jeremy Reynalds is available on request from Dan Wooding at danjuma1@aol.com.