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 A blog from the ground...... - 2007/11/28 21:03 |
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pathfinder
| Posts: 333 |   |
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Hi, This a blog by a relief worker from Bangladesh.
Hope you will get somethin here....
Cyclone Sidr: Floods of tears and nothing to drink
Abdul Jolil Miah, Fundraising Manager at Muslim Aid has travelled to the worst-affected regions in Bangladesh. He’s currently working with the Muslim Aid relief teams on the ground, and reports directly from the scene of devastation.
Bagerhat, 22 November, 2007
Being a first time blogger is a pretty new experience. Writing it on a Blackberry on board a rusting ferry in the middle of a perilous river in the south of Bangladesh is, well pushing the boat.
I have just finished visiting some of the worst affected areas in the aftermath of Cyclone Sidr. Though I arrived on day seven, Muslim Aid teams have been on the ground since day one. The landscape here in the Morolgong union of the Bagerhat district has been devastated by the deadly Cyclone and subsequent storm surge with waves reported by locals to have been as high as 30 feet.
We drove as far possible in our 4x4 (known commonly as Chelsea tractors in London) until the storm-damaged roads could carry us no more. We then swapped four wheels for two and jumped on a motorbike for a further few kilometers, before abandoning that too and making use of our legs which carried us to Saudkhali and to the banks of the river Boleshhar (a tributary leading directly to the Bay of Bengal ). The sight and the smells were quite astonishing-95% of buildings in view:homes, businesses, schools, mosques and temples (many Hindu communities live in the southern areas) had been completely flattened. Corrugated iron sheets, which once were the rooftops of homes now lay tangled amongst trees and timber frames.
However the storm was far more aggressive than the 155mph winds. A villager in Saudkhali told me that the water had approached in under half an hour, and was gone within half an hour. An hour’s wrath causing damage which will take many years to mend.
The human casualty figures here are amongst the highest anywhere we have heard of. It is important to note that our information is coming directly from the ground, from staff and volunteers, NGO colleagues and local people, as opposed to newswires. The road side became a makeshift graveyard in many areas. People are being buried in graves seven or eight at a time, others in the humblest of graves marked only by the presence of a lone plant or set of hastily gathered branches.
The stench of decomposing animal carcasses is combined with that of human remains. I saw many examples of this today, the bodies of mainly children and women. In one example, the carcass of a cow and that of a child no older than ten years old lay together by a pool of stagnant water. People passed by and could do nothing, so we arranged for the child to be buried.
In the course of today, I have also had the most profound experience of my life, which I feel I need to share; even if just for my own sake.
We received news at our relief camp that a body had been discovered. Our staff immediately went to investigate. I too went, and discovered the decomposing body of a small child no older than 8 months floating in a small stream of contaminated water, the body badly decomposed. The innocence of child even in this state was undeniably evident. Local villagers told us that many families had been to try and identify the body, but the child’s identity and that of her parents was still unknown. It had now been seven days since this child’s body had been discovered and we decided that a dignified burial was the least we could do for her.
We dug a grave with our hands, sourced with great difficulty a burial shroud, picked up the girl whose parents we do not know of, prayed the funeral prayer over her and buried her.
I named her Fatima in my prayers.
A few hours later, we received news of yet more bodies that had been discovered.
The food and water are still being provided, the queue at the mobile hospital does not shrink much other than at midday and the relief operation continues. Our team has many weeks of tireless work ahead of them before sense of Sidr is made and pieces begin to be picked up.
Poth harabao bolei ebar pothe nemechi.... |
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Re:A blog from the ground......update30/11/07 - 2007/12/07 11:59 |
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pathfinder
| Posts: 333 | |
Karma: 23
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This an update blog from Bangladesh by a relief worker from the cyclone ground....
Bangladesh Blog
Abdul Jolil Miah, Fundraising Manager at Muslim Aid has travelled to the worst-affected regions in Bangladesh. He’s currently working with the Muslim Aid relief teams on the ground, and reports directly from the scene of devastation.
Cyclone Sidr: Whirlwind of destruction - Rays of hope
Dhaka, 30th November 2007
BEEP...BEEP...BEEP..
..and on it goes.
I am back in Dhaka having spent sometime in the field with the Muslim Aid emergency response team. Dhaka is crazy. A sprawling cityscape of over 20 million people (estimated by a friend made on board a less than convincing domestic flight from Jessore). High-rise buildings are emerging everywhere. The cars beep beep to turn left and, surprise surprise; they beep beep to turn right as well as to stop!
The sight of the city is quite astounding, as are its people. Stepping back I watch the life of a rickshaw driver intertwine with that of business men, students and street vendors selling everything from Bombay mix and sour berries to newspapers and forged copies of 'Lonely Planet - Bangladesh' (nearly bought by one of our Global Medic team).
Being in Dhaka, it’s hard to tell that you are less than 200km north of the major disaster zone of cyclone Sidr (I don’t suppose this will become a popular name in the south). There it now seems that, besides the force of the155 miles per hour winds, the tidal surges of up to twenty feet high in places did the most damage to lives and livelihoods.
I went back into the field on Wednesday this week. Jim Karygiannis, a federal MP from Canada, had been invited to visit Bangladesh by Muslim Aid, Global Medic and a few other NGO's. Jim is a spirited guy who took time out of his schedule to come. Having flown in from Canada, after a one hour break, we flew him to Jessore and drove him along some of the worst roads in this country for 6 hours into Saudkhali - all without a moan or groan. Jim came here to see the devastation and to take home some messages. From his words at the press conference in Dhaka, he has certainly seen and noted the messages and will be an impressive mouthpiece for the affected people and hardworking NGO's alike.
Driving along the roads from Jessore to Saudkhali, we took the same route that I had taken a few days ago on my first visit. Destruction, death and disaster were the words that ran through my mind then. I was surprised to find a very visible difference already, only 10 days on. I discovered that the people here possess a remarkable quality – resilience. Wooden shacks selling shots of very strong yet milky tea were running again. The guys making parathas (pastry/bread) by the roadside had somehow found new pots and pans and eggs to accompany a good paratha. It’s a defiant demonstration that the people will not be defeated and upturned; rather they will strive to return life to normality.
But there are still many without the means to regain their lives yet and desperately need support. The devastation of Saudkhali is still evident with access to water very restricted, food in limited supply and shelter very makeshift. The Muslim Aid inflatable hospital, running with the support of Global Medic, is treating over 800 people per day. The water purifying has delivered well over its 100,000th litre and will continue to do so. The donated motorised chainsaws Jim kindly carried over on his flight are now being used to clear access routes and restore the small bamboo bridges that link isolated communities across waterways. Our team has also continued to ensure bodies are buried swiftly and with dignity.
All round hard work has infected our aid workers. They eat and sleep rough - literally. Rice and dall (lentils) are the meals 2/3 times a day, and at night a piece of wooden slat or, if lucky, one of the empty hospital beds becomes a resting place for hardworking heads.
The truth is that Jim's visit was the excuse I needed. It provided me with the opportunity to go back to Saudkhali. It allowed me to visit Fatima.
Those who read my last blog will remember the unknown little girl who I named Fatima - a young victim of the devastating cyclone. I have since seen her several times in my dreams. I knew the impact of my first day in Saudkhali would be profound and I am not surprised that it has not fully sunk in. The scale of destruction is astonishing, and like it will take time to repair so will my experience take time to normalise and for me to find a portion of my mind in which to place it.
I’ve not had enough time to consult Sheikh Google on the do’s and don’ts of blogging, but I am giving it a go because the message is just as important as the work that is taking place on the ground. We have to spread the message; we have to speak out on behalf of the millions here in Bangladesh and elsewhere. To be compassionate and to be shown compassion is a right for all; for Allah is most Compassionate, most Merciful.
Poth harabao bolei ebar pothe nemechi.... |
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