FERRIES, TRADITIONAL BOATS GET RELIEF SUPPLIES TO THOUSANDS IN BANGLADESH;
WITH ROADS UNCLEAR, TIDES DICTATE TRANSPORT OF LIFE-SAVING RELIEF
November 20, 2007, Dhaka, Bangladesh - Ferries and traditional fishing boats have helped Catholic Relief Services (CRS)/Caritas manage food and emergency relief distributions for nearly 1,000 families so far living in Barisal district hardest hit by the cyclone, and where many roads have yet to be cleared.
"From Barisal city, I have taken two ferries over three hours, and now I will walk until I reach a river where I will take a country boat with no motor to cross into areas where we are distributing relief supplies. The need is so huge and ferries provide a special context for transport. With extremely low or extremely high tides, it is difficult to move," said Dr. Benedict Alo D'Rozario, director of CRS' partner, Caritas Bangladesh.
CRS/Caritas started food distributions on Saturday (November 17) in Kalapara subdistrict of Potuakhali district in Barisal. Food packages consist of 10 kg rice, 2 kg lentils and 1 kg salt to last families for up to 10 days.
With urgent need for family shelter, CRS/Caritas is preparing to distribute tarpaulins, blankets, cooking pots, plates, buckets and water containers to at least 10,000 families. Certain items such as plastic sheeting and vegetable oil are in short supply and will have to be transported from Dhaka.
Many homes were crushed under falling trees. Some areas report that 90% 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 life saving effect of the 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," said Cassie Dummett, CRS Bangladesh Country Manager.
CRS is supporting a five-member assessment team of staff from Central and other Regional Offices (all trained in Sphere, Code of Conduct and assessment methods and checklists) who are carrying out efforts in Barisal and Khulna after quickly identifying local sources of food, suppliers and shopkeepers who could supply immediate food rations.
Aid workers available for interviews:
In Barisal: Cassie Dummett, CRS Bangladesh Program Manager: +88.0.11.99.812.366 / cdummett@crsindia.org
In Delhi: Caroline Brennan, CRS Regional Information Officer: +91.93.50.96.79.99 / cbrennan@crsindia.org
In the U.S.: John Rivera, CRS Senior Communications Officer: Tel: 443.604.2918 / jrivera@crs.org
CRS has supported emergency and long-term development programs in Bangladesh since 1971. Catholic Relief Services is the international humanitarian agency of the Catholic community in the United States. The agency provides assistance to people in more than 100 countries and territories based on need, regardless of race, nationality or creed.
[ Any views expressed in this article are those of the writer and not of Reuters. ]
