Needs Mount After Deadly Cyclone
November 27, 2007—Catholic Relief Services and partner Caritas Bangladesh are continuing to aid and devise long-term recovery for thousands of families affected by the November 15 cyclone.
The super storm has caused mass displacement, as over 366,000 homes were destroyed and nearly 850,000 damaged in some way. According to government estimates, the rising death toll has reached 3,400.
CRS has committed $500,000 to the relief effort, which, in conjunction with Caritas, has provided food rations to 23,500 families in nine districts. The agency anticipates reaching 51,000 families.
Cyclone survivors in Kalapara sit near a collapsed building. Photo by Thomas Preindl, Caritas Austria
"Thanks to ferries that are up and running and more roads being cleared, we're accessing areas that have yet to receive any aid. Some have been nearly flattened, and people are desperate. They 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," said Cassie Dummett, CRS Bangladesh program manager in Barisal.
Aside from food, blankets, drinking water, shelter and hygiene supplies top the list of needs.
Last week, many families were still staying in cyclone shelters. Other families were sleeping in public marketplaces, sharing the space with animals in unhygienic conditions. 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.
"In coastal areas, much of the land has been turned into ponds for prawn farming. People take loans from big businessmen to get started and now they have not only lost their sources of food and income, but are also hugely in debt. Women earned money from selling rice, weaving or fishing. Now they have nothing," said Dummett.
Homes and Crops Destroyed
Many homes were crushed under falling trees. Some areas report that 90 percent of trees have been uprooted.
Caritas' volunteer network that has worked in the area for years is identifying the worst-affected families — those who had lost everything and who have nothing at all to eat. Districts with lower death tolls reflect the lifesaving effect of cyclone shelters, roughly 2,000 of which have been constructed since 1991.
"However, little could be done to protect people's homes and livelihoods from the super cyclone's onslaught. The coastal area is very poor, and in many villages little remains to even show where houses used to exist," Dummett said.
Telecommunications infrastructure is badly damaged. Acres of vital crops as well as soil beds were ruined by the heavy rain and salt water. Destroyed winter crops, including vegetables, pulses, peanuts and oil seeds, will have a severe impact on food availability and income. 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. Young children and the elderly will be especially exposed to health risks.
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. According to government reports, at least 20,000 fishermen — at sea when the storm hit — are missing.
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.
