When a civil servant messes up big time up in Bangladesh, they get shipped off to the district of Barguna.
This coastal area edging onto the Bay of Bengal is known as the punishment state, a place where living conditions are tough for errant officials and locals alike.
During the worst cyclone to hit Bangladesh in more than a decade last November, Barguna felt the force of the storm.
Trees smashed by the cyclone at Kuakata. Picture: Liu Liu/Tearfund
When Tearfund partners turned up to help the survivors, there was an almost bewildered appreciation of Christian compassion in action.
Liu Liu, Tearfund’s Disaster Risk Reduction Officer for Bangladesh, sums up the reaction: `Our partners were being asked “What are you doing here? There’s no personal gain for you in being here”.’
But there was a lot of need for them to be there.
Many homes like this one in Barguna were damaged and destroyed. Picture: Liu Liu/Tearfund
Cyclone Sidr, with winds of 140mph and heavy rains,
swept on to batter vast areas in Khulna, Barisal and Chittagong districts.
Tidal surges of up to 10ft devastated many areas and led to a death toll of around 4,000 people.
The response of supporters and the church to a Tearfund appeal meant that nearly £130,000 helped provide emergency aid, such as food and blankets.
Homes are being rebuilt with help from Tearfund's partners. Picture: Liu Liu/Tearfund
Five months on, that money continues to fund longer term recovery work.
One of our main partners HEED, (Health, Education & Economic Development), is helping rebuild homes in Barguna, neighbouring Patuakhali and Bagerhat, where many of these structures were blown away or left badly damaged.
Nearly 1,000 tarpaulins have been distributed to provide homes with added protection from the elements. These wax canvas sheets will last up to six years, three times longer than traditional ones.
Small cash grants of 1,500-2,000 Bangladeshi taka, equivalent to £10-£15, are being provided by HEED so the worst affected families can buy building materials.
Other money is being distributed to kick-start the rebuilding of livelihoods. The fishing community lost much equipment, so cash helps to buy items like new nets.
People in rural areas rely on agriculture but the cyclone destroyed most crops and seed stocks for future harvests. HEED is responding by offering new seed supplies.
Water and sanitation systems were affected by the destructive power of Sidr, so fellow Tearfund partner Koinonia is installing 40 hand-operated wells in 25 villages as well as helping to rebuild homes and livelihoods.
Much work remains to be done but the human cost could have been much higher if not for the effectiveness of cyclone shelters and trained volunteers.
The shelters are concrete buildings where between 500-1,000 people can hunker down.
HEED has built nine of them near the Bay of Bengal and unlike some government ones, they are located close to communities.
Cyclone shelters like this one are being built for when the next storm strikes. Picture: Liu Liu/Tearfund
Training is also vital. Tearfund Disaster Risk Reduction projects prepare communities to cope with, and to reduce the impact of, events like the cyclone.
Bangladesh’s susceptibility to cyclones means Tearfund’s work in this field will be ongoing as part of a five year programme funded by the UK’s Department for International Development.
Liu Liu said, `Disaster risk reduction is looking at teaching people how to prepare before the disaster, cope during the disaster and recover afterwards.’
In communities, this means giving training to villagers and forming disaster committees where individuals are given various responsibilities.
Training is helping communities prepare for disasters. Picture: Liu Liu/Tearfund
`So when disaster comes they will help the elderly and women households first, evacuate people and go and do first aid,’ said Liu. `They’ll have been trained for all this kind of work. It’s an ongoing process.’
A process that will undoubtedly show its value when the next cyclone strikes.