Recovery Begins After Deadly Cyclone
December 5, 2007—Just over two weeks after Cyclone Sidr slammed into the coast of Bangladesh, steps in recovery can be seen in areas further inland, where people are clearing debris, some rebuilding their homes, and markets are busy trying to keep in stock various supplies.
The deadly cyclone claimed the lives of more than 3,200 people and injured about 40,000 people, according to government estimates.
A little girl, still under five, helps start the fire for their meal as two younger children look on, outside their make-shift shelter along the coast.Photo by Debasish Shom for CRS.
Overall, an estimated 8.5 million residents were affected, as 564,000 homes were destroyed, 885,280 others damaged, 2 million acres of crops wiped out with 1.25 million livestock killed.
In response, Catholic Relief Services and its partner Caritas Bangladesh are continuing to aid and assess long-term recovery for thousands of families affected by the November 15 cyclone. The super cyclone brought with it the double whammy of winds and a tidal surge—a wave that rushed more than half a mile into the coastline, dragging everything out with it.
CRS has committed $500,000 to the relief effort, which, in conjunction with Caritas, is working to reach 51,000 families with initial food and relief supplies.
As CRS and Caritas staff toured affected areas in Barisal last week, the varying degrees of damage could be seen along the roads as they led closer to the coast. Uprooted trees are everywhere, along with collapsed roadsides and riverbeds that turned over rows of massive tress like divers at the start of a swim meet. Most trips involve several ferries, sometimes as many as eight in a day, and many coastal villages have been flattened —nothing but chewed bits and pieces left behind, with people wondering where to go from here. Most of the deaths occurred in these coastal communities.
"In places inland, it looks like a terrible storm took place that was a nightmare for people that night; along the coast, it looks like a nightmare right now. They have nothing. You see foundations of houses and nothing more, boats (and families' sole means of income) now crumpled piles of firewood, sheets used as walls, schools toppled, and people living with the absolute bare minimum to survive," says Caroline Brennan, CRS Asia regional information officer.
As the assessment team walked along a path that runs parallel to the river in Battorgata, about five hours south of Barisal city, a growing group of locals were eager to share their stories. They said that nearly 80 percent of the towns' people are fishermen. "When asked if anyone had been fishing since the cyclone hit, they replied with a resounding, 'No.' It wasn't for fear, but for basic lack of their boat and nets," says Brennan.
"Thanks to ferries that are up and running and more roads being cleared, we're accessing areas that have yet to receive any aid. People are protecting their families with whatever is available, sleeping under bits of salvaged wood and twisted corrugated iron. Food is critical — whatever they took with them to the cyclone shelter has run out and they have nowhere to turn," says Cassie Dummett, CRS Bangladesh program manager (based in Dhaka).
Residents are resilient, and away from the coast many are in the process of starting to patch together their houses.Photo by Debasish Shom for CRS
Hundreds of thousands living here are facing the full impact of the disaster - which has left them without food, shelter, schools or a means to make a living. CRS/Caritas is continuing to reach out to those who are in greatest need. The most affected districts are Barisal, Borguna, Pirozpur, Jhalokathi, Bhola, Luxmipur, Patualkhali, Bagerhat, Sathkhra and Cox's Bazar. The storm propelled a 15-foot tidal surge that slammed into the southern coast.
Homes and Crops Destroyed
Destroyed winter crops, including vegetables, pulses, peanuts and oil seeds, will have a severe impact on food availability and income. Food disparity is mostly seen along the coast, where people have nothing.
Also, the cyclone hit at the beginning of the coldest time of the year in Bangladesh. People will need blankets and further insulation from the cold. On top of that, the impact of the cyclone has rendered fuel and firewood scarce. Coastal residents, who already suffer from chronic drinking-water shortages due to the saline groundwater, lost their stocks of water as holding containers were smashed by the cyclone's force. The tidal surge also washed over and contaminated wells in the area.
Preparedness
Many people said they survived only because of staying in a nearby cyclone shelter, one of the 2,100 built over the past 15 years thanks to a government-enforced initiative following a 1991 super cyclone that claimed 100,000 lives. CRS' partner Caritas Bangladesh has built 222 cyclone shelters to date, which have the double purpose of serving as schools, and plans exist to build more in disaster-prone communities.
Caritas-trained community volunteer groups played a large part in preparing communities, teaching them about warning systems and measures for preparedness, and organizing the shelter and escape situation so that the most vulnerable were helped first, and it didn't turn into a scene of chaos.
CRS Bangladesh
CRS has supported emergency and long-term development programs in Bangladesh since 1971. Given the country's vulnerability to disasters, much of CRS programming there focuses on disaster preparedness.
