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New York/Dhaka, May 27, 2009 - BRAC staff have been working around the clock since before Cyclone Aila hit the southwestern coast of Bangladesh on Monday to evacuate people and immediately launched relief efforts. The storm, with tidal waves caused by winds of up to 100 kilometers per hour, has rendered hundreds of thousands homeless, and many are still missing.
BRAC staff is providing water and foods such as chira, a mixture of rice and molasses, to those who have sought shelter in our offices and cyclone shelters. As many of the cyclone-hit areas were also affected by Cyclone Sidr in 2007, BRAC was already conducting rehabilitation work in the region, and quickly shifted into emergency relief mode.
Though wind speed was much lower than during Cyclone Sidr, Aila occurred during high tide which made the impact more significant. Extensive damage has occurred as mud embankments have been breached, leaving several areas under water. Dr. Babar Kabir, Director of BRAC's Disaster, Environment and Climate Change Program (DECC) who is overseeing the relief effort, is assessing the damage and relief needs in Bagerhat, Khulna and Satkhira.
"Clean water will become a public health concern as the local ponds (which are the only source of drinking water) have become inundated with saline water," says Kabir. "As BRAC begins to see the extent and severity of the damage, it is clear that a greater response is urgently needed."
BRAC is assessing the number of people vulnerable to exposure, hunger and disease, and will scale up its efforts to provide food, basic relief items, medical care, and improved access to clean water. Crop damage can only be assessed after the water has fully receded. BRAC is using 10 million Taka of its own funds to provide initial relief and will seek funding once it completes its needs assessment.
BRAC is working throughout the affected region, and has a national network of programs and more than 100,000 staff throughout Bangladesh. BRAC has provided emergency aid and rehabilitation in Bangladesh since its inception and carried out large-scale relief and rehabilitation activities there for cyclone and flood victims in 1987, 1988, 1991, 1998, 2000, 2004 and 2007. BRAC, the largest non-profit in the developing world, was launched in Bangladesh in 1972 and today reaches more than 110 million people in Africa and Asia with its holistic approach to addressing poverty by providing micro-loans, self-employment opportunities, health services, education and legal and human rights education.
For media inquiries please contact:US Alyssa Herman
Vice President for Communications, Marketing and Development
E-mail: alyssa@bracusa.org
Phone: +1 212 808 5615
Cell: +1 646 483 4819
[ Any views expressed in this article are those of the writer and not of Reuters. ]
A man stands near a shattered glass after a fire set by the workers of a textile factory in Ashulia, on the outskirts of Dhaka June 29, 2009. Textile workers set ...
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