NETWORK FOR INFORMATION, RESPONSE AND PREPAREDNESS ACTIVITIES ON DISASTER -NIRAPAD : Cyclone SIDR 2007 SitRep No. 21 , 13:30hrs, 17 November 2007 (www.nirapad.org)

CRY for food and shelter UNDER THE OPEN SKY

CURRENT SITUATION The extent of damage caused by the super cyclone SIDR that swept through Bangladesh Coast on 15 November 2007 could not be established as reports of losses from remote areas in the vulnerable 15 coastal districts kept pouring in.

According to official information, the death toll ¾ THOUSANS OF PEOPLE HAVE raised to 884 till early TAKEN SHELTER UNDER THE OPEN Saturday. However, news SKY AS THE STORM RAVAGED dailies and NGOs put the THEIR HOUSES total death figure above 1200. ¾ THE SOLE CHALLENGE FOR THE Field information transpires HUMANITARIAN AGENCIES IS TO that many people including REACH THE WORST HIT AREAS BY poor fisherman who ignored ROADS the weather warning and ¾ PEOPLE ARE BADLY IN NEED OF went out to sea are still DRY FOOD, TEMPORARY SHELTER, missing. CLOTHES AND MEDICAL AID

According to local NGOs thousands of people have taken shelter under the open sky as the storm ravaged their houses. It was known that people are badly in need of dry food, temporary shelter, pure water, clothes and medical aid. But, the sole challenge for the humanitarian agencies is to reach the worst hit areas by roads

The cyclone caused the country’s power system to collapse completely yesterday morning, triggering a knock-on effect on piped water supplies, telecommunication and filling station operations. In addition to suffering the miseries inflicted by the lack of power and water supplies, people spent a day amid increasing tension and uncertainty. Disruptions to Internet connections, mobile phone network and television broadcast worsened things further.

Page 1 of 4 NETWORK FOR INFORMATION, RESPONSE AND PREPAREDNESS ACTIVITIES ON DISASTER -NIRAPAD Bangladesh: Cyclone SIDR 2007 SitRep No. 21 Dhaka, 13:30hrs, 17 November 2007 (www.nirapad.org)

However, power supply has been restored from early this morning in the capital city while the cyclone-effected coastal areas are still without electricity.

Around 95 percent standing crops in Damage at a glance 11 coastal Districts have been affected # of Upazila affected 32 badly by the cyclone. Economists fear # of affected 255954 the SIDR would take its toll on the household livelihood of ultra poor people, with # of affected 930485 rising inflation. Environmentalists and population biodiversity experts fear immense loss to the and its wildlife, as Crop damaged (fully) 9001.5 Acre the brunt of cyclone SIDR was borne Crop damage (partly) 249613 Acre by the world’s largest mangrove # of houses damaged 207846 forest, the Sundarbans. Some experts (fully) said they fear many wildlife including # of houses damaged 174483 tigers, deer, crocodiles, wild boars, (partly) king cobras and monkeys might have # of people death 884 been washed away and perished # of people injured 36 under the weight of uprooted trees of # of livestock dead 354 the world natural heritage site. It will # of education 32 take weeks to assess the actual death institution damaged toll and total loss. (fully) # of education 5357 The cyclonic storm of hurricane institution damaged strength, SIDR was one of the 10 (partly) fiercest cyclones that hit the region of Road damaged 167 KM Bangladesh in the 131 years between Embankment 24.75 KM 1876 and 2007. SIDR was considered damaged as fierce a cyclone as the ones that hit Trees uprooted 226560 the country in 1970 and 1991 killing Source: Data received from Govt. 500,000 and 140,000 people Emergency Control Room at 11:00 AM today respectively.

Page 2 of 4 NETWORK FOR INFORMATION, RESPONSE AND PREPAREDNESS ACTIVITIES ON DISASTER -NIRAPAD Bangladesh: Cyclone SIDR 2007 SitRep No. 21 Dhaka, 13:30hrs, 17 November 2007 (www.nirapad.org)

DISTRICT-WISE SCENERIO (IN BRIEF) NIRAPAD member Codec from Patuakhali informed today that three Upazilas (Galachipa, Mirzaganj and Kalapara) were affected severely by the Cyclone and over 400 people might be No.of people killed in the selected Upazilas killed in these areas. District Upazila # of Death However, one media quoting Barguna Amtali 87 its local correspondent Patharghata 22 reported that some 490 people Barguna Sadar 13 were killed only at Patuakhali. In Barguna Patuakhali Galachipa 400 district nearly 80 per cent of Mizaganj the thatched houses were Kalapara damaged. People killed 87 in Amtali, 22 in Patharghata and Bagerhat/ Sharankhola 400-500 13 in Barguna Sadar. Over 300 Morelganj 100 people killed in Bagerhat. Note: This matrix was prepared based on information received from different sources The worst hit upazilas of the district are Sharankhola, Morelganj and Chitalmari. From Sharankhola one Codec Official Mr. Shahidul Islam who was there during the cyclone) informed us , “I saw over 200 dead bodies at Sharakhola at my sight. The total death toll would cross 500. People are passing their days under the open sky. Their miseries know no bounds. They are critically in need of dry food, temporary shelters and medical aid with medicines, Mr. Islam stated.” Almost 90% trees are uprooted. Villages were inundated by 15-20 feet of surge water. Water entered into the villages as Beri badh breached at several points. Mr. Iqbal a staff of SGS said, “Inundating the basement surge water entered into 1st floor in many cyclone shelters.” To reach to Sharakhola is still very difficult as the uprooted trees still lying on the road. Almost 100 people killed at Morelganj Upazila. Almost 100% Shrimp enclosures washed away. Except a few pucca building all semi-pucca and kutcha/thatched houses damaged badly. Road communication with the Upazila still stays disconnected. In Khulna the force of river water during the storm caused breaches in three embankments at Dacope and two at Koira in Khulna, which inundated a number of villages.

Page 3 of 4 NETWORK FOR INFORMATION, RESPONSE AND PREPAREDNESS ACTIVITIES ON DISASTER -NIRAPAD Bangladesh: Cyclone SIDR 2007 SitRep No. 21 Dhaka, 13:30hrs, 17 November 2007 (www.nirapad.org)

ACTIONS TAKEN BY NIRAPAD MEMBERS 1. Codec has moved towards Sharakhola with dry food, candles and other emergency necessities today at their own capacity. 2. Prodipan started distributing dry food and other essential non-food item at their own capacity among the affected villagers. 3. CARE has planned to distribute dry food and other non-food items initially among 5,000 hh in partnership with NIRAPAD members. 4. To support the affected people with drinking water CARE has sent Water Treatment Plants to Bagerhat. 5. RIC has already distributed dry foods among 150 HH in Pirojpur. With assistance from UNDP, distribution of more 5000 packets of dry food will be started tomorrow in the same district.

INFORMATION SOURCE: 1. NIRAPAD’s Member Organizations, RIC, CARE, CoDEC, DUS, PRODIPAN, RDRS 2. Southern Socio-economic Development Program (SSDP) 3. Control Room at Ministry of Food and Disaster Management 4. Websites 5. Media reports

Govt. control room: Govt. has opened up a central emergency control room at the Ministry of Food and Disaster Management. Phone numbers are: 7160454, 716211

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