Stories compiled by SHOUHARDO Field Staff & edited by Communications Unit - CARE Bangladesh
Cyclone Aila struck southern Bangladesh on 25 May, devastating thousands of households and increasing the vulnerability of people living in the char (islands built up from silt in a river) regions of Bangladesh. A large number of homes are now underwater. The chars are remote and disconnected from all modern facilities as it is, and now the cyclone has added to the misery of the people.
Nurjahan lives in Nolerchar village, in Noakhali, where Cyclone Aila struck. CARE’s assessment found that more than 80 percent of homes have been destroyed in this village of 25,000 people. Nurjahan did not hear any early warning messages about the cyclone, and just felt winds blowing stronger. Like many other villagers she did not think too much about it.
“I never expected anything like this," Nurjahan says. It was two in the afternoon when she noticed that the water level was rising, first to one metre and then slowly until it reached an alarming two metres.
She looked on helplessly as the water came in from every direction. The water level had risen to nearly three metres all over the village. Nurjahan's husband was away at the time. Nurjahan frantically tried to think how to protect her two sons and four daughters. In just an hour, the water flooded her house and everything she owned was submerged.
She had no choice but to start wading through the water with her children. It took her a few hours to reach a safe place. She held the youngest one in her arms and swam through the coursing water and soon lost sight of her other children.
It was a day later that she found her children in a nearby area. They had fortunately been rescued by neighbours. Nurjahan had however lost her all her chickens and ducks in the tidal surge. She also lost all the stored food comprising 10-12 kg rice and three mounds of potato and 8kg of chilies. This food could have lasted them for weeks and was a great loss. Nurjahan’s crop of rice and chilies were also washed away.
They all stayed in a nearby house until the water levels went down a little. Two days after the cyclone, her husband returned and fixed the remains of the house by simply repairing the fence with mud from the yard. The water mostly subsided two days later and her household looked like it was afloat. All that’s left is a damaged roof with soft muddy floors, which can fall to ruins any time. She has to wade through one metre of water to fetch drinking water from far away everyday and use polluted water for other household tasks.
“We have nothing left in our house except a wooden bed. Life has been extremely difficult these last five days,” she said. “I cannot move much as the water surrounds my house.”
Nurjahan weeps as she adds: ”My little child has been suffering from diarrhea since the disaster day. I have managed to salvage only 1 kg of potatoes from the neighbour’s house and we have been surviving on this for three days. I do not know how we will survive amidst this saline water.“
The floods of saltwater from the cyclone has created a water crisis. The villagers have been compelled to use the floodwater to perform household work. In this situation, there is a scarcity of drinking water. People without shelter are moving further away to look for shelter or staying under a shade.
CARE responded immediately to the disaster, providing emergency food rations and clean drinking water to people who were forced to flee their homes. CARE has provided Nurjahan and the people of her village with emergency food and safe drinking water, but they are in dire need of significantly more food and water, as well as shelter and livelihood support in order to survive. A few days after the cyclone hit there was an outbreak of diarrhea which needs urgent health support to stop more loss of life.
But beyond the immediate emergency response, the people of Nurjahan’s village will need long-term assistance to help them recover from the cyclone. Nearly 100 percent of households have lost their crops. The stored paddy seeds for next year’s planting are damaged from the flood water, so without help, people will not be able to plant crops for next year’s rainy season. An entire year’s production has been lost, which will have long-term effects on the people in this flooded area.
“My poultry and goat have been washed away. Now I have nothing of my own,” Nurjahan sobs.
As Nurjahan stares out into the grim distance and the murky waters envelop her house, she wonders despondently how she shall gather the strength to start all over again.