The damage caused by Cyclone Nargis in May 2008 was unprecedented in Myanmar. Indeed, the Post-Nargis Joint Assessment (PONJA) found the damage to be on a scale equal to that suffered by Aceh in Indonesia, one of the areas worst affected by the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. Cyclone Nargis left almost 140,000 people dead and missing in the Delta. An estimated 2.4 million people lost, partially or completely, their homes, livelihoods and community structures.

 The Post-Nargis Recovery and Preparedness Plan (PONREPP) is a response to this progression, outlining an indicative three-year recovery plan which takes a peoplecentred approach of promoting productive lives, healthy lives, and protected lives. The PONREPP draws on the PONJA, the first Periodic Review of the cyclone-affected communities undertaken in October-November 2008, and the initial findings of the Social Impacts Monitoring study.