Hi Nina,

Thank you for all the information you have sent. I don’t have regular access to email, so bear with me for late reply.

It has been an ordeal since last Friday. My apartment’s window frame fell and all the rain, with 90 degree and 300/km wind blow, came into the room. One of the patios became a pool with its clogged drainage, and that also caused water to leak to the floor. All night we tried to barricade windows and doors with heavy chairs and tables. My hands got totally red and sore for ringing towels 1000 times to get water out! Now the city is full of fallen trees and electric wires.

Lots of magnificent trees, many of them look more than a few hundred years old, are lying on the middle of the roads. It saddens me greatly to know that the most beautiful part of Yangon – ancient trees that kindly offer shelters from the sun and rain – is gone. It is heart breaking to see the giant trees uprooted and lying helplessly on the roads, with their branches chopped off by people who try to get through the streets. Huge bill boards on the streets are also bent like candy sticks. It will be weeks before we get back electricity. At the moment, our apartment has neither lights nor water. Today, I am taking a refuge in UNICEF’s office (hence, my access to internet : )