Cyclone Remal: Two months on, hard-hit communities struggling to get by and rebuild

Along with one of her daughters, 35-year-old Tanya stands on top the remains of her family’s home

Along with one of her daughters, 35-year-old Tanya stands on top the remains of her family’s home

Photo: IFRC and Bangladesh Red Crescent Society

Two months after Cyclone Remal, people are still in shock from the devastation the storm played on their lives. ‘I am literally living in a kind of hell,” says one man, a carpenter who lost the home he built with his own hands. ‘There is a temporary cooking station at the back of my house, but nothing to eat.’

The water from Cyclone Remal was already up to their necks when 35-year-old Tanya and her husband had to evacuated their home and go to a storm shelter.

My house was destroyed and now I live with my in-laws nearby,” she says. “I have three children. Two daughters and a son, and taking care of another boy as well; four children in total. All my children were born in our house, that is now destroyed.”

Tanya’s story is shared by thousands whose lives were dramatically changed when the cyclone made landfall near the Mongla and Khepupara coasts in Bangladesh and West Bengal of India on 26 May, 2024. 

According to Bangladesh’s Department of Disaster Management (DDM), under the Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief (MoDMR), about 4.6 million people were affected by Cyclone Remal in 19 districts.

More than 807,000 people were evacuated to 9,424 evacuation shelters across 19 districts. Over 173,000 houses were damaged, including 40,338 that were completely uninhabitable. Now families are struggling to get back on their feet.

Before the cyclone and flooding, my husband did daily tasks to help other families in the area — with things like farming,” Tanya continues. “He worked as hired support for other people in the village who need deliveries. 

“Options are not that many here for people who need to do day-to-day work for survival. So, my husband was already struggling beforehand. Now it’s worse, because everybody in the community is affected. If there is work, we can eat. Otherwise, we don’t get food.” 

The storm also had a devastating impact on food security and livelihoods. More than 50,000 fishing farms were destroyed, and more than 80,000 hectares cultivable land were inundated, by the high winds, waves and storm surges of cyclone Remal.

 

A woman stands in what used to be the foundation of her home, which was completely washed away by the storm and now is being held up by makeshift supports.

A woman stands in what used to be the foundation of her home, which was completely washed away by the storm and now is being held up by makeshift supports.

Photo: IFRC and Bangladesh Red Crescent Society

In the wake of the storm, the Bangladesh Red Crescent immediately began providing emergency food through its eight coastal branching, distributing a seven-day food package to 50,000 people. They also provided hygiene kits, tarpaulins and sleeping mats, among other things.

Access to clean water is also critical, as over 20,000 water points and more than 134,000 latrines were damaged by the storm.  In response, two mobile water treatment plants (reverse osmosis) for desalination were deployed in Khulna and Satkhira districts, distributing safe drinking water to more than 5,000 households. 

Two Mobile Medical Teams were also mobilized, providing primary healthcare services and psychosocial support.

The immediate resonse was supported by a 1 million Swiss Franc allocation from the IFRC’s Disaster Response Emergency Fund (IFRC-DREF) and an emergency appeal that was launched by the IFRC seeking 12.5 million Swiss Francs to support ongoing operations.

A woman gets salty water from the river estuary, the only recourse after Cyclone Remal destroyed regular sources of clean water.  Access to clean water is critical, as over 20,000 water points and more than 134,000 latrines were damaged by the storm.

A woman gets salty water from the river estuary, the only recourse after Cyclone Remal destroyed regular sources of clean water. Access to clean water is critical, as over 20,000 water points and more than 134,000 latrines were damaged by the storm.

Photo: IFRC and Bangladesh Red Crescent Society

In the coming months, the focus will be on building back livelihoods and shelters. For many, the storm took away their single most important life investment: their homes.

In the case of 65-year-old Yunus, a husband and father of two the storm took away the home he had been building and developing over ten years with his own hands. 

Since his family came back from the evacuation shelters to find their house destroyed and belongings gone, Yunus’ wife has been in complete shock and has been crying most of the time. 

A carpenter by trade, Yunus built his own family home, which is was nearly destroyed by the cyclone and must be held up with make-shift supports as he tries to rebuild.

We have lived like this, with cyclones for years, so we thought that this would be a ‘normal’ one,” said Yunus.“We went to the shelter in a hurry, and we didn’t have the chance to protect anything. At 3 am I escaped from the shelter to see what was happening here, and I saw that everything was gone. The road was gone, and the house was covered in water."

"I remained in the shelter for days because I literally could not return to my house. There was still a small rice paddy, but all the rice was gone. I got some chicken and hens as food support.”

I am literally living in a kind of hell. There is a temporary cooking station at the back of my house, but nothing to eat.”

Yesterday I built a new small area to sleep in, because it is not possible to live in our destroyed house. The remains of it are tilted and full of loose pieces of wood and aluminum; it is dangerous to be inside. So, I am building a new temporary place for us to sleep in as soon as possible."

Story by Camilla Bruun Simonsen 

Editing by Rachel Punitha

Photos: Al-Shahriar Rupam (IFRC)

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