Responding to the Bangladesh cyclone

Save the Children's emergency response teams are helping thousands of families who fled their homes in Bangladesh after a massive cyclone struck yesterday (Thursday).

Friday 16 November 2007

We were one of the few humanitarian agencies with emergency response staff already positioned near the path of the storm.

The area hit is a remote and low-lying area still recovering from extreme flooding last summer. Our staff report that there has been severe damage. Power cuts are widespread , phone lines are down and roads have been blocked making communication with remote rural areas very difficult.

"Save the Children is moving quickly to ensure that children and families get the aid they desperately need," said Gareth Owen, Save the Children's director of emergencies. "The first 24 hours after a disaster are critical to saving lives. We're battling to reach the most vulnerable, especially children."

Heavy rains and wind have destroyed homes and knocked out power and phone lines, hampering the relief effort.

While the extent of the damage is still not known, news agencies are reporting that tens of thousands of people have been left homeless and several hundred are feared dead. Around three million people live in the area hit by the storm.

Save the Children is distributing 10,000 emergency kits containing plastic sheeting and rope to make shelters, water containers and soap. In addition, 1,500 blankets and 10,000 water purification tablets are being sent to the area.

Save the Children, which assisted in the large-scale evacuation of the region, is co-ordinating with local authorities . We've dispatched 19 teams to assess damage and needs. Prior to the storm, we had deployed equipment, including rescue boats, and arranged for food and water-purification supplies to be sent to the at-risk areas.

The Category 4 cyclone hit the coast of the flood-prone country on Thursday afternoon, striking the Sundarbans area - immediately adjacent to Barisal, where Save the Children has extensive programme work.


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