"On 2 May 2008 the lower western regions of Burma were hit by Tropical Cyclone Nargis. The scale of the cyclone and the devastation it left in its wake made the task of identifying victims and those affected very difficult to accurately gauge. Estimates vary in range, however, most sources agree that around 140,000 people may have lost their lives, and around 2.4 million people were directly affected by the event. The actual story of the cyclone and its effects have been covered extensively by the international and exile media as well as those groups operating on relief and reconstruction efforts in the Irrawaddy and Rangoon Divisions, which bore the brunt of the cyclone?s impact. Therefore, it shall not be necessary to herein repeat the details of the event. This chapter will look at how the disaster may have served to facilitate human rights violations in the early phases of the relief effort, including those abuses that were directly related to the cyclone, but not necessarily perpetrated in the delta regions, where most examinations of the human rights element to the relief operations have been focused..."