Cyclone Aila has destroyed thousands of homes and stranded millions of people in flooded villages in Bangladesh and India.

The cyclone hit the coast of Bangladesh and the Indian state of West Bengal on Monday, with a tidal surge washing away villages, roads and livestock.

Caritas Bangladesh has taken immediate steps.

Before the cyclone hit, Caritas staff and volunteers disseminated early warning messages through loud speakers. Local offices prepared stocks of dry foods for immediate distribution.

Caritas volunteers have now identified the most needy families and begun distributing food to those families not yet reached by the government and or other aid agencies.

“The initial Caritas assessment highlighted urgent needs for food, safe water, water purifying tablets, and Oral Rehydration Saline (ORS),” said Akhila D’Rozario, Director of Disaster Management, Caritas Bangladesh.

Caritas Bangladesh started dry food distributions on Tuesday in different affected areas.

So far, US $7353 has been approved for Caritas Khulna and Barisal Offices for dry food (flattened rice and molasses) for the people who are in the cyclone shelters and on the roadsides.

Caritas in Barisal has already distributed immediate relief to 300 families in Barguna Sadar at the cyclone shelter. Caritas in Khulna has already distributed rice and molasses to 1,878 affected people in Satkhira and Bagerhat districts.

Plus, a total of 3,000 packets of Oral Rehydration Saline (ORS) was also distributed among the affected people.

For more information, please contact Patrick Nicholson on 0039 334 359 0700 or nicholson@caritas.va