The humanitarian need caused by Cyclone Sidr is worse than previously thought according to a report by the United Nations this week.
A further 1.5 million more people are now thought to have been affected meaning that around 8.5 million people now need emergency assistance. Damage to property is also thought to be worse than originally reported.
Over 564,000 homes have been destroyed – 200,000 more than initial assessments suggested.
Elgin Saha, from Tearfund partner Heed, who is working with affected communities in Bangladesh, says that because the cyclone was more powerful than previous cyclones, damage to property has been worse:
‘Because of the low tide and the speed at which the cyclone travelled, the worst devastation that was caused was not loss of life - it was actually the damage inflicted on people's homes and buildings,’ he says.
As a result of the work that Heed had been doing in disaster prevention work, staff were able to lead more than 23,000 people to safety in shelters prior to the cyclone - but the aftermath of the disaster was huge.
‘People were absolutely stunned and we were speechless at what mighty works the wind can do. We were horrified…’ says Elgin.
Heed is now working to provide people with help to rebuild and repair their houses and buildings as well as enable people to earn some income from assisting them in the work. With winter already approaching in the region, blankets and cooking utensils are also really needed.
Please pray for the work that Tearfund partners and other aid agencies are doing in Bangladesh. Pray that now the accurate scale of damage the cyclone caused has been found, more people will be reached and enabled to rebuild or find shelter for the winter.
Find out about the work our partners are doing and give to Tearfund’s emergency appeal for Bangladesh here.