Nyein Chan, 27, was married with five children and lived with his parents and extended family. When Cyclone Nargis struck he was widowed, and all but one of his children died. Following counselling, he is now working regularly, sleeps well, his mood has improved and his physical symptoms have subsided
Before Nargis, I had a happy family and enough income, but my family and possessions were all destroyed in a single night and I cannot come to terms with that.
During Nargis, my family members and I escaped from our home by boat. Unfortunately, our boat was destroyed by strong winds and waves and all my family members fell into the water. My children were crying and shouting for help. First, I carried my grandfather and two sons to a big tree, then I went back to get my wife and other children. On the way, I was hit by strong waves and was carried further away. I eventually came to a big tree and climbed up it. I had no longyi [traditional sarong] and I stayed in that tree the whole night.
The next morning, I went back to the place where I had left my wife and children the previous night, but there was nothing. They were all gone. Then I went back to the big tree where I had left my grandfather and two sons, but found my grandfather and only one of my sons. My other son was missing – he had fallen down into the water in the night.
I am very sad and upset because I could not save my family. After two days, I heard that my eldest daughter had not died but had been saved by one of our neighbours and was in Bogalay camp. I went to the camp but did not find her. She had died during Nargis.
After Nargis, I suffered from persistent abdominal pains and headaches. I could not sleep well at night and had no desire to eat. I went to Bogalay and Yangon hospitals and was treated for hepatitis.
I feel very sad because six members of my family died in Nargis. I lost my home, wife, daughter and sons. I had no desire to live or work. I had no interest in anything.
When I missed my family, I took to drinking alcohol heavily. I could not save all my family members. I have only one son now. Everyone else is dead. I was very upset and felt depressed. I did not stay in my old village, I moved to my elder brother's village. Now my only surviving son and I live with my brother's family.
I sometimes dream about my wife and children. When I do, I can no longer sleep so I wake up to smoke and drink. I want to live with my family as we were living before Nargis but I've lost everything.
Sabai, 35, was married with five children when Nargis hit. She lost three of her children and all of her property. After counselling, Sabai's strange dreams have subsided and she believes that her children have finally reached a good place – but she is worried about the upcoming monsoon season because she fears that another cyclone might hit
During Nargis my family and I stayed in the water the whole night. I had five children and the waters washed three of them away. I lost all the property we had before the cyclone.
I feel very sad for my dead children and I don't sleep well. I don't like eating and I am not interested in doing any work. I suffer from pains like headaches, backaches, general body pains, and loss of concentration.
When it is windy I don't eat anything and cannot sleep.
I get angry very easily and quite often. I do not like leaving home or seeing my neighbours or other villagers. I keep thinking about my dead children and cry a lot. When I think about the cyclone I get very upset and cry. The neighbours started to gossip that I was either pretending to be or actually was crazy and this made me even more angry.
After the cyclone, I had very strange dreams of my children. I dreamt that my children were asking me to follow them. I got very scared. My husband tried to get me to sleep, and supported me throughout the night. I felt like I was in hell.
Most days I go to the graveyard to mourn my children. I am worried they did not go to a good place and this makes me less interested in my remaining children, my husband and my business. I went to a fortune teller and he told me that the children will go to a good place because they are innocent, but I still get unusual and strange dreams.