The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) has launched an emergency appeal for 2.35 million Swiss francs (2.2 million US dollars or 1.6 million euro) to support the Bangladesh Red Crescent Society (BDRCS) as it helps 36,800 families affected by Cyclone Aila.
Cyclone Aila hit the southwestern coast of Bangladesh on 25 May, leaving nearly 200 people dead and causing devastation. In recent weeks, damage caused to homes and livelihoods has become increasingly severe.
According to 38-year-old Shah Alam, a farmer from Bagerhat on the southern coastal belt of Bangladesh, “many of the flood-control dams and embankments which had protected my community from the wrath of Cyclone Sidr in 2007 did not help us during Aila”.
Relief and recovery
International support will allow BDRCS to provide relief and early recovery assistance to those most affected by the disaster for a period of nine months. Essential assistance will include emergency shelter, primary health care, water and sanitation and livelihood programmes in the eight most affected Bangladeshi districts of Barisal, Bhola, Pirojpur, Sathkira, Khulna, Bagerhat, Barguna and Patuakhali.
Much of the land in the region has remained severely waterlogged and the houses that withstood the initial impact of the storm have now collapsed. It is estimated that four million people are affected, with more than 240,000 homes completely destroyed and more than 370,000 homes heavily damaged.
People can’t cope
Seventy-year-old Yunus Morol was displaced by the storm and said that Cyclone Aila caused more damage than past cyclones he has experienced in his lifetime. “We don’t know how to cope with these frequent storms and high tidal surges. We do not have a safe place for shelter and do not have access to early warnings,” Morol told an IFRC assessment team that was recently in his village.
Heavy rain and strong winds brought by Cyclone Aila flattened huge tracts of standing crops and washed away numerous fisheries. They also caused extensive damage to embankments in the coastal districts. Thousands of people have been injured and many livestock were killed, according to the Ministry of Food and Disaster Management.
Livelihoods threatened
Along with the scarcity of basic necessities such as clean drinking water, food and sanitation facilities, the affected communities have faced a severe blow to their sources of income.
IFRC disaster management officer Khaled Masud, who took part in assessments in the affected areas, noted that it was the planting season. Most of the crops he saw had been submerged, and now the soil has extremely high levels of salinity.
“As a result of these high salt levels, affected farmers will have to wait for two farming seasons for their land to once again be workable,” said Masud. “This will result in significant unemployment and affect the crop calendar. The loss of livestock will also hamper agricultural productivity.”
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Community members and Red Crescent volunteers work together to repair embankments in advance of the next storm. (p-BGD0256)
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This widow is now homeless, sitting beside all that remains of her belongings. (p-BGD0257)
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Mehdi Hasan, just 13 years old, now lives with his father in a home damaged by Aila. Sanjida S. Tawhid. (p-BGD0255)
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