Weeks will pass before the toll of the dead from Cyclone Nargis will be known, if a figure is ever tallied. As it stands, tens of thousands are dead in Myanmar and an estimated one million are homeless following the massive storm.

It breaks the heart to see such suffering, knowing that the brutal military junta that controls that nation will do little to help. And it should spur concerted action to help those hurting.

Eastern North Carolina knows all too well the devastating effects of tropical storms, but that experience would have been little match for Nargis, which slammed into the Myanmar coast on Friday with sustained winds of 165 mph. The impact was immediate and deadly. The country has reported at least 24,500 deaths in Nargis' wake and that more than a million have been displaced. Limited resources and haphazard relief efforts promise to prolong the suffering and could condemn thousands more to their graves.

Pressuring Myanmar's military leadership to allow aid workers to assist those in need becomes a more pressing priority with each passing hour. Diplomatic negotiations, including relief organizations, must prove successful.

President Bush has been quick to express sympathy and urge assistance, which is a reasonable response. But he must also lead the charge to collect supplies and pledge funds to speed the recovery.

Finally, local residents moved to help can do so through monetary donations to international relief organizations. The U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies can accept pledges on-line for those with the means to do so.

This is a terrible human tragedy, one that demands immediate attention and compassion. For an area annually subject to the will of the tropical winds, eastern North Carolina should need no further encouragement to help.