Cyclone Remnants Leave Thousands Homeless in Bangladesh
A farmer in Bangladesh’s Noakhali district, already displaced by river erosion, and his family have been living under the open sky for four days after a recent storm destroyed their makeshift home near a coastal embankment, highlighting the extreme vulnerability of marginalized communities to natural disasters.
Jashim Uddin, his wife, and children have received no aid since Wednesday when the storm hit their residence in Ward 8 of Mohammadpur Union, Subarnachar Upazila.
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“The river took our land. We have no place of our own; we survive by farming others’ land,” Uddin recounted, explaining his family’s forced relocation to an impermanent structure alongside the embankment. “We were forced to build our home by the embankment. The storm destroyed that too. For four days, my wife and children and I have been under the open sky, and I don’t know where to go.”
A visit to the site on Saturday revealed the devastating aftermath: twisted tin sheets and broken pillars lay scattered, leaving no trace of a shelter for the family or their livestock.
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Jashim’s wife, Ojiba Khatun, echoed the despair. “We have nowhere to live. What little we had, the storm also broke. We narrowly escaped death from being trapped under the house. God saved us,” she said, adding, “Now we can’t sleep at night; we stay awake all night. Who can we go to, who will help us?”
Local residents emphasized that families like Uddin’s, rendered destitute by coastal river erosion, often resort to building temporary homes along embankments, making them acutely susceptible to natural calamities. They underscored the urgent need for both government and non-governmental assistance for these vulnerable populations.
Subarnachar Upazila Executive Officer Akib Osman acknowledged learning of the situation on Saturday afternoon. He stated that a detailed investigation would commence on Sunday, with provisions to supply the affected family with tin, essential supplies, and food aid.
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