Rescue stepped up as Bangladesh cyclone toll nears 2,500

DHAKA: Bangladesh's Disaster Management Control Room reported 2,388 persons killed in 23 districts hit by Hurricane Sidr this week, while unofficial estimates based on the accounts of rescuers and media put the death toll higher, with several thousands still missing.

The death toll is considered relatively low when compared to past cyclones -- there have been over 80 in the last 130 years -- and this is partly due to effective disaster management by the government, The Daily Star said Sunday.

However, it conceded that the picture is so far incomplete with thousands missing. Also, there were concerns that many people in the region had failed to react to the warnings as previous storms forecast by the Met office had not materialized, the newspaper noted.

While the human loss may be low, the scale of devastation had 'caught the government off guard', forcing it to step up rescue and relief operations at a massive scale.

It pressed into service more military ships, aircrafts and helicopters to strengthen the rescue drive and relief operation. Navy personnel and Coast Guards began searching through coastal areas for missing people.

About 3,000 troops from different garrisons were also rushed to the cyclone-affected areas, and air force helicopters and planes dropped emergency relief supplies on inaccessible localities.

Life in rain-lashed Dhaka, the national capital, returned to normal, 36 hours after the cyclone hit, with civic amenities largely restored, New Age newspaper said.

Packing winds over 220 km an hour, the cyclone, that began on Thursday evening, demolished houses, crops, trees and shrimp farms along its trail of devastation over thousands of square kilometres before heading north and moving north-east on Friday towards Meghalaya and Tripura in India.

The cyclone left its mark of devastation on 103 sub-districts affecting 274 million people. The storm also killed 242,000 livestock and completely destroyed crops on 18,122 acres. According to the estimate, 273,000 houses were flattened.

Survivors and rescuers in the six worst-hit districts -- Bagerhat, Barguna, Patuakhali, Pirojpur, Barisal and Jhalakathi -- were seen in tears, burying their dear ones with the air fouled by the smell of decomposing bodies, The Daily Star said on Sunday.

With the communications and utility services yet to be restored fully, aid workers and rescuers struggled to reach survivors in most of the affected areas. Thousands of people are still living under the open sky with no food, drinking water or medicine.

This is high fishing season in most of southern Bangladesh. Countless trawlers and fishing boats remain missing with hope diminishing fast for any survivors, media reports said.

The United Nations, Germany and different local and international organisations have allocated funds for conducting relief and rehabilitation activities among the cyclone-hit people.

UN Emergency Relief Coordinator John Holmes said the UN would make available $7 million from its central emergency fund.

The UN is currently distributing 208 metric tonnes of high-energy biscuits, 240,000 water purification tablets, medicine, medical equipment and other essential goods.

The United States, United Nations and the British government have expressed deep sympathy for the victims, United News of Bangladesh (UNB) news agency reported.

The German government announced 500,000 euros ($732,429) in grant, while the German Red Cross Society in association with Caritas, an international NGO, would distribute the amount, the embassy here announced.

The Organisation of Islamic countries (OIC) secretary general Professor Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu expressed his deep shock and distress at the loss of lives and destruction caused by Cyclone Sidr. In a statement the OIC chief praised the Bangladesh government for its quick and effective handling of the preliminary situation.

Uttam Dev, a senior research fellow at Centre for Policy Dialogue, told The Daily Star that the storm caused total disaster to the farmers in coastal districts.

He suggested that the government widen different social safety nets and initiate rehabilitation work immediately. He said the safety nets programmes in the cyclone-ravaged areas should continue till the next harvest.

The United States is sending two ships to help victims of the cyclone.
 
In a statement issued late Saturday, the White House said an 18-person medical team that was already in Bangladesh before the cyclone would remain to help with medical needs.
 
The ships will be delivering 35 tonnes of non-food items such as plastic sheeting, plastic cans, hygiene kits and other supplies.
 
The USS Essex and USS Kearsarge, two multipurpose amphibious assault ships, were being dispatched, the statement said.
 
"Working with the government of Bangladesh, we are assessing critical needs to determine where our assistance can be most effective," the statement issued on behalf of President George W. Bush said.