Press release – 5 September
Final distributions of emergency shelter aid are underway in Bangladesh after severe flooding left hundreds of thousands of people displaced following Cylone Remal.
The international disaster relief charity ShelterBox has been supporting people to rebuild homes working in partnership with local aid agency Uttaran. With the support of local communities, Uttaran has been distributing ShelterBox aid to people unable to return home in the low-lying areas of Paikgacha, Dacope and Saronkhola.
More than 170,000 homes were damaged across the country in May, with the tropical storm one of the most severe to make landfall in the country in recent years.
92-year-old Anarc is from Deluti Union, an area severely damaged by torrential rains and powerful winds. He had been enjoying retirement, living alone, and receiving support from his son before the cyclone hit. He took cover in a local government shelter made from concrete and after the storm was over made his way home to find it had been badly damaged.
People whose homes were completely destroyed have been receiving corrugated iron sheeting, bamboo, rope, and fixings – items they can use to build emergency shelters. People have also received a small amount of cash so that they can hire local tradespeople.
Regional Director for Asia and MENA at ShelterBox, Haroon Altaf says: “The cash element of this response is important because once people have the aid items, they need to be able to construct their emergency shelters.
“A small amount of money means people can pay to transport the aid materials to where their homes once stood, which isn’t easy when access has been compromised. And they can pay for local labourers who can erect these types of shelters in less than three days.”
Anarc says: “This has given me hope as I can repair my house and live the rest of my life in comfort instead of discomfort.”
The civil unrest that has been widely reported across the country meant that distributions of aid were briefly paused. The final distributions of aid are now happening.
More and more people are being displaced in climate vulnerable countries like Bangladesh as extreme weather gets worse, hits the same places more often, and lasts longer. ShelterBox is rethinking disasters and changing the way it works, including how it prepares for a response before a disaster happens.
Haroon adds: “People don’t just lose their homes to flood water; they lose their belongings and livelihoods too because crops get washed away and fishing boats get damaged.
“Extreme weather in this low-lying region of Bangladesh is not uncommon and so we’ve been doing more over the last year or so to prepare with local partners and community networks for future responses.”
In the last two weeks, severe monsoon rains have inundated large parts of eastern Bangladesh on higher ground not usually prone to flooding. Major rivers have overflowed, and widespread flooding is affecting around 5.8 million people. At least 200,000 houses have been damaged or destroyed, though with the flood waters yet to recede the number of people left without shelter remains unclear. The rain is relentless and that’s making it more difficult to access the full extent of the damage to people’s homes. ShelterBox is liaising closely with Uttaran and Rotary networks in the region to get more information as the charity explores whether a response might be needed.
ShelterBox has experience responding to extreme weather and conflict in Bangladesh. It responded to Cyclone Sidr in 2007, flooding and the Rohingya crisis in 2017, and more recently monsoon flooding in 2019.
ENDS
For more information contact the press office at ShelterBox via [email protected].
Notes to Editors
- Interviews available on request.
- Images and b-roll.
About ShelterBox
ShelterBox provides emergency shelter and other essential items to families who have lost their homes to disasters. With operational headquarters in Cornwall, the charity also has 13 affiliate organisations worldwide. The charity has been Rotary International’s project partner in disaster relief since 2012. ShelterBox has supported almost 3 million people since it was founded in 2000. www.shelterbox.org
