Cyclone Is Gone, the Suffering Remains

Cyclone ‘Amphan’ left a trail of devastation in the coastal districts of Bangladesh on Wednesday night, with a wind speed of up to 180kph and over 10 feet tidal surges.

It inflicted heavy damage to lives, livelihood, agriculture, infrastructures, environment, as well as the largest mangrove forest in the world, the Sundarbans, in the southwestern region of the country.

State Minister for Disaster Management and Relief Dr Md Enamur Rahman on Thursday said a rough estimate suggests that the damage has been about Tk 1,100 crore.

The complete estimate will be available within seven days, he said.

The images below show a fraction of the suffering it brought, and that it left behind for the people of one Upazila, Shyamnagar, which has a history of dealing with such severe weather systems.

Another family forced to stay back at the cyclone shelter after learning their home was destroyed, takes time to get some sleep. 

Rendered effectively homeless by Amphan, the few belongings with which these people are resting at the cyclone shelter may be all the material possessions they have left in the world.

Yet the survivors still have each other, and so a father and child will still play around with a goat, even in a cyclone shelter. 

Away from the shelter, locals of Dumur Union decided not to wait for the WDB officials, to repair a flood control embankment damaged during Amphan.

Locals of Dumur Union working in mud to repair a flood control embankment that was breached during the cyclone.

Women and children watch the repair of a flood control embankment in Dumur Union, no doubt ready to join if required.

Source: UNB