News at ABWE
Miseries caused by Cyclone Sidr
Firsthand accounts
November 30, 2007
By a Bengali Partner
The devastating hurricane Sidr hit the coastal districts of Barguna, Barisal, Khulna and Bagerhat as it crossed the country from the Northern Bay of Bengal on the evening of November 15, 2007, with a high tidal surge and strong winds of over 220km per hour. The losses and casualties of human lives, livestock, houses, and crops have been rampant in the cyclone-affected districts. Shell-shocked survivors picked through the cyclone ruins in the worst-hit southern districts as thousands of victims awaited relief amid their wrecked homes, crops, livestock and fields. They sobbed in agony, suffered from hunger, thirst, and diarrhea. They buried their dear ones and searched in vain for the answer as to why this destruction collapsed their lives.
I visited the remote affected villages under Mongla Upazilla of Bagerhat district. During our visit to Kanainogor village, I came to know from the affected villagers that about 95 percent of the houses and educational institutions have been destroyed and damaged. Rice paddy plants were ruined in such a way that the cultivator families will not be able to harvest the minimum quantity of rice in the coming harvest period that is one and a half months ahead. The inhabitants of Kanainogor were found picking through the ruins of their houses and the damaged belongings that were scattered all around their homes. One described their suffering just as it is written here:
“We heard the announcement about the cautionary signal number 10 from the radio and from some of the neighbors who have television sets in their houses. Since there were no big cyclones or storms in our area over the last couple of years, we thought that the force of the storm wind would not be so strong. Also, as it has in some past years, that the direction of the cyclone would take a turn towards the northwest because of the natural blocking of the Sundarbans mangrove forest.
The storm brews
“My family and I, including my 70-year-old father, my paralyzed mother, my wife and our two daughters were at home in the morning hour of November 15 as there was rain outside. It rained the whole day, and from the afternoon hours the velocity of the wind started increasing. On advice of my father I also took my wife and two daughters to Church of Bangladesh campus for shelter, and then I came back to our house. My ailing mother hesitated to move from the house. Around 7:30 p.m., the intensity of the cyclone became worse. A cracking sound was heard beside our house—a rain tree was uprooted and blown down. I became afraid and covered my mother with a plastic sheet and carried her to Church of Bangladesh campus, but my father remained.
God’s miraculous protection
“After coming back, I saw that the wooden pillars of our small house were slanting towards the northern direction and my father was pulling them, trying to save them from bending. I joined him doing the same. We started fighting against the monster hurricane with our very limited human strength. I requested my father to go to the church campus but he didn’t. As the night was getting deeper, the velocity of the cyclonic storm became furious. Suddenly, I heard a tremendous blowing sound of wind and within a wink of an eye both my father and I fell to the ground. I felt that it was God's blessings that we were not blown away with the angry wind. Our house was no longer on the plinth.
“I used my physical strength and held one hand of my father. I could not think of anything else than to rush to the Church of Bangladesh campus. The strong gusty wind tried to knock us down several times but we bent our knees and stopped for a few moments and thus we reached the Church of Bangladesh campus around 10:00 p.m. I felt sad about the condition of our house but I gave thanks to God that He saved our lives miraculously.
“We could feel that the cyclonic storm became stronger after the midnight. The stormy night was almost a sleepless one for me. Frankly speaking, I never had such a bitter experience in my life before. We lost our houses, poultry, trees, crops, and other household belongings. I feel very helpless now but we will have to struggle for our existence. I request you to please pray for our family and for all other cyclone-affected families of our village.”
Another friend lives in one part of the village with his wife and two daughters. I talked with him, and he and his wife were collecting the pieces of broken wooden pillars of their destroyed houses. She was wiping her eyes as she started crying. I prayed for them and asked him about how the destruction occurred. He looked very upset. He controlled his emotion and started telling me his story:
“Brother, after hearing the announcement about the cyclonic storm I talked with my wife and in the morning hour of November 15, I went to the houses of our church members. As the church members have very simple houses, I requested them to pack some of their essential things and go to the safe places like the cyclone shelter, Church of Bangladesh campus, and the Catholic Church campus, according to their convenience. I then went to see the condition of our church house. As time was passing, I felt that the force of the wind was becoming stronger, accompanied by rain. I told my wife to prepare some simple food. Before having lunch we prayed to God to save us from big dangers.
“At about 4 p.m. of the same day, I came out of the house for a few minutes with an umbrella and I found that many men and women of our locality were rushing with their children to take shelter in a safe place. I thought that the storm would not be so severe, as I heard that the Sundarbans forest deflected a number of cyclones over the last couple of years. Also, I strongly believed that our Lord will hear the prayers of many people. I talked with my wife and we offered prayer again, together with our 12-year-old daughter. As the evening was approaching, my wife got worried for her and for our second daughter, who is only three months old. She suggested that we leave our small house and go to a safe place like the other people of the village. I agreed with her suggestion and so she packed some essential things and clothes in two hand bags.
Desperate for shelter
“Our elder daughter started crying with fear. I patted her with affection and told her that God will help us. My wife wrapped our baby daughter with some warm clothes and I covered her with a piece of plastic so that she does not get wet. My wife locked the door of our house and tied the door rings of the kitchen with a piece of rope. After a short prayer we started towards the church campus. In the middle of the wet road, our daughter’s left foot slipped and she screamed with fear. I stopped walking and looked back. I grabbed her left arm and pulled up. My wife started shivering with cold and she said that the strong wind pushed them to the side of the road. I got very worried and continued my silent prayer to our Lord to help us. I wanted to wait for some time beside a tree as my daughter and my wife got tired, but then I thought that the trees were not safe during the storm. So I told my wife and children to keep their heads stooping towards the ground and walk carefully. This time I kept closer to them; after a struggle against the wind and rain we reached the church campus. We got a place to sit in one corner of the church building. Many of our known people also took shelter in the church building in the meantime.
The storm intensifies
“It was almost 7:00 p.m. and we heard through a special radio news bulletin that the velocity of the storm was intensifying and approaching towards the coastal districts of Barguna, Bagerhat, Khulna and Barisal and that it might hit Mongla Upazilla by midnight. I could feel that the adult men and women were becoming horrified as they were discussing the forthcoming danger. I requested them to pray to God. Some of us men took the initiative and suggested to start praying in group-wise system. I led the prayer of one group. We sang a few songs and offered our earnest prayer to our gracious Lord for saving the lives, houses, and other belongings of all endangered people. The other groups of people also offered prayer to God with deep appeal. After the prayer we were able to have some dry food that we brought from the house. Most of the children in the church building felt asleep as they got tired after walking through the wind and rain. I talked with some of our known people. All of the adults were too much worried as the speed and raging sound of the wind was increasing every hour. I sat in one corner with my wife and two children and I continued my silent prayer. It was very difficult for me to close my eyes even though I was feeling tired and nervous.
Around 11:30 p.m. I heard the roaring sound of the storm as if the wind would break the building and blow everything away. As I was sitting leaning against the wall, I put my head in between my two knees, putting my hands around my knees. I can't say what time it was at night as I fell asleep. One of our neighbors pulled my hand softly and told me that the raging sound of the wind came down. I gave thanks to God and we were waiting for the daylight. Within the next few hours I could feel that it was early morning and the velocity of the wind was much lower but a slight rain was there. I became anxious to see the condition of our two houses. After about one hour we looked out through the window of the church building and everything was visible by that time. My wife and our two daughters were asleep. I called my wife and told her to remain at the church building and then together with some of my church members, I came to our dwelling area.
The aftermath of Sidr
“On our way I saw some blown down trees and houses on both sides of the local road. When I arrived at our dwelling place, it seemed that the location was unknown to me. I saw that the dwelling house was blown down and there was no tin roof. The kitchen was completely shattered. The poles and pillars of our two houses were scattered all around. Some clothes and other household belongings were blown a few yards away from the plinth of the houses. My heart broke and I was feeling like crying out loudly. I started walking around frantically trying to find some of the useful things of our family. I looked around the locality and saw some more blown down and destroyed houses of other families. After a few minutes I rushed to the new school house and found that it was blown down to the ground.
I got tremendously upset and came back to the church campus with a depressed heart. I told my wife about the destruction and sat down to the floor in despair. She and my daughter started crying. I saw many other women crying after hearing about the miserable condition of their houses and other belonging, I did not forget to give thanks to our Lord for saving our lives.
We thank you from the core of our heart for your compassionate concern for the suffering people like us.”
Learn more about how ABWE is helping with relief efforts in Bangladesh.