"argue that heeding lessons from Cyclone Nargis can help Myanmar to overcome the impact of the pandemic response. The second of May 2020 was the twelfth anniversary of Cyclone Nargis, a category 4 tropical storm that hit the Ayeyarwady Delta of Myanmar. With the loss of over 140,000 lives, the temporary displacement of up to 800,000 people, and estimated damages and losses of US$ 4 billion, Nargis was the most devastating natural disaster in Myanmar’s recorded history.[1] Myanmar is now facing yet another major disaster, the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). By June 24, around 9.3 million people have tested positive for the virus globally, and over 478,000 have died. That same day, the reported number of COVID-19 infections in Myanmar still stood at only 293, with 6 deaths. The government’s containment policy may succeed in keeping the direct effects of the coronavirus in Myanmar limited. However, its indirect, socioeconomic impacts for the country as a whole may end up being as dramatic as those of Nargis were for the Delta. In this article, we first look into the impacts of Cyclone Nargis on affected villages and their path to economic and social recovery. We then discuss the early impacts of COVID-19 on select economic sectors and in some of the Nargis-affected areas. Next, we briefly review the government’s emergency aid measures and reflect on their usefulness in light of lessons learned from post-Nargis aid. Finally, we argue in favour of a holistic policy to make rural communities more resilient to future crises..."