It may not be a top tourist destination, since a reclusive military government took charge in 1962, but that doesn't mean Calgarians aren't connected with Myanmar. Those with closest ties still call the country Burma. Whatever the name, it is a country reeling from the devastating effects of a cyclone. The natural phenomenon has killed 22,000 at the latest count, leaving Calgary's Burmese community wondering if friends and family are alive.

"I still can't communicate and find out about friends who were living in the area that was severely hit," says Cham Toik. Scouring the internet for news, he does at least know the family he left behind 15 years ago are well. Only a cousin suffered minor injuries - a broken arm.

The Red Cross is preparing to send aid and personnel to Myanmar. Spokesperson Dena Allen says "This is a very disaster prone part of the world, it's not like this is a freak occurrence, these things end up happening quite often".

Indeed, who can forget the Boxing Day tsunami of 2004. A fateful day in which hundreds of thousands perished, but that day Myanmar didn't take the brunt of nature's force. Saturday was a different story.

Cyclone Nargis' powerful impact was felt most in the area around the mayor city of  Rangoon. "It is already an area which is rather impoverished," adds Allen "and it's going to take a lot of support for these people to be able to recover." But will the international community come to the aid of a country whose doors were closed for decades, and has been accused of hindering humanitarian aid in the past? "We cant stand alone, every body must be helping each other." Toik says. The Red Cross agrees.

To see the current situation click on the link.