TWO Burmese men studying in Toowoomba had a tormented and sleepless weekend after news broke of the devastating Cyclone Nargis in Burma on Saturday.

Hanpaing Soe, who has lived in Toowoomba for four years, watched in horror as the death toll continued to rise while he still hadn't heard whether his family was alive or dead.

He said the relief was indescribable when he finally got a call from his mother at 10pm on Tuesday letting him know his family had survived the disaster.

"I didn't sleep after I heard about the cyclone on Saturday - it was the worst feeling I have ever had," Mr Soe, 22, said.

"I was so worried because I couldn't get through to my family by phone and I knew the cyclone had been very strong in the area they live.

"But when my mum called on Tuesday night I was just so happy. I slept very well that night," he said.

Mr Soe said the cyclone ripped the roof off his family home in Rangoon, Burma's largest city.

"My father is a carpenter so he was able to repair the roof, but most people are not so lucky," he said.

"My mum told me the city of Rangoon now looks like a forest - everything has been destroyed."

Hlaing Wintun, 31, said while the majority of his family was safe, they were yet to hear from members of his extended family who were living in Bogalay, where it was reported 95 per cent of the buildings were destroyed.

"At first I was just shocked," Mr Wintun said.

"But after I saw all the damage on the news I really started to worry about my family."

"Luckily, they are safe but I am still worried about the Burmese people, I think the poor people will be really suffering," he said.

AAP reported yesterday that the first Red Cross aid plane was due to fly into the devastated country yesterday afternoon after previous efforts had been hampered by Burmese officials.

US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said there was millions of dollars in assistance waiting to be delivered and international disaster experts were stationed in nearby countries, ready to help. But they had not yet been given visas by the Burmese government.

Western countries, which have imposed tough sanctions against Burma over its human rights record, have been urging its military junta to urgently open its borders to help.

The official death toll from the aftermath of Cyclone Nargis stands at 22,980, but some experts fear that number could rise above 100,000.

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