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Save the Children races to help survivors of Cyclone Aila in Bangladesh and India

Cyclone Aila has killed hundreds of people and caused widespread flooding and destruction to low-lying coastal areas in India and Bangladesh. We are preparing to provide clean water and daily essentials to affected children and their families.

Thursday 28 May 2009

Cyclone Aila struck the low-lying coastal areas of eastern India and south-west Bangladesh with winds of up to 90 km an hour on 25 May. An estimated three million Bangladeshis and two million Indians — at least half of them children — have been affected by the storm. The death toll for both countries is approaching 200.

The cyclone's initial impact washed away thousands of mud houses, and strong winds toppled more. Thirteen-foot waves damaged river and flood-control embankments and dykes, putting hundreds of coastal villages underwater — 200 in India alone. Heavy rains have triggered flooding, which has submerged thousands of thatched houses. Many areas remain underwater.

People in both countries have sought shelter on higher ground, in school buildings, government offices and cyclone shelters. In India, 400,000 people were reported marooned and a regional official said stormy conditions and turbulent rivers prevented the initial delivery of assistance.

A homeless woman and her son from the eastern Indian city of Kolkata take shelter from the cyclone inside a pipe.

As freshwater sources have been polluted with salt water, getting safe drinking water to affected families is our main objective. Families also need food, shelter materials, hygiene kits and other non-food relief items.

"We are working to get water treatment plants up and running so that a bad situation does not get much worse through the spread of disease." Michelle Brown, Save the Children's emergency specialist said. "Families have lost their homes, livestock, crops, access to work and food and, in many cases, clean water and sanitation. Daily life is a struggle, and thousands of children are at risk."

What we’re doing

In Bangladesh we're:

• moving five water treatment plants to remote locations
• distributing 10,000 kits of essetial items to affected families
• establishing 100 safe spaces for children in the affected area.

In West Bengal, India, we're planning to:

• rehabilitate accessible wells and disinfecting other sources of water (such as ponds and wells)
• provide household jerry cans and water purification tablets
• carry out supplementary feeding, especially targeting children and pregnant and nursing mothers
• provide basic shelters and oral rehydration salts
• establish safe spaces for children to play in

Please help us reach more children by donating to the Children’s Emergency Fund.