The Situation: Cyclone Sidr hit the coastal districts of Bangladesh (Khulna, Barisal, Borguna and Mongla) as it crossed the country from the northern Bay of Bengal on the evening of 15th November triggering a 5 metre high tidal surge and strong winds of over 200 km per hour. Five days into the catastrophe and the exact figure of losses of lives and properties is still not known. The Bangladesh Government's official death toll figures continue to rise towards 3,000, with fears that it could rise to over 10,000. The destruction to property has also been immense, with over 300,000 homes destroyed. The damage caused by Sidr comes as a severe blow to the economy of Bangladesh, already suffering huge losses from back-to-back floods earlier this year.
There are reports on scarcity of relief from different parts of the storm-hit districts, with acute drinking water shortages and a food crisis looming. Injured survivors are finding themselves without access to adequate medical treatment, since the nearest hospitals are miles from their homes. The lack of clean drinking water increases the risk of outbreaks of water-borne diseases such as diarrhoea, particularly amongst vulnerable groups such as children and the elderly.
How ActionAid is responding: ActionAid is distributing immediate relief items with the help of partner organisations to over 30,000 people in the affected areas. These items include dry food, oral rehydration salts, water purifying tablets, clothing and towels. Preparations are also underway for a second round of relief to deliver cooked food items to 6000 households in Morrelganj, Zianagar, Bhandaria, Mothbaria of Bagerhat district and Burir Char and Khepupara of Barguna district. Plans are also in place to provide both immediate and long-term psychosocial support to those struggling to cope with the loss of both relatives and their homes and livelihoods.
ActionAid has opened a communication cell to monitor the impact of the cyclone's damage, as well as continue to assess the loss of lives and property.
[ Any views expressed in this article are those of the writer and not of Reuters. ]
