Bangladesh Cyclone recovery

Villages whose homes have been destroyed wait desperately for help

Tropical Cyclone Sidr slammed into Bangladesh’s south coast on 15 November 2007, packing winds of up to 140 miles per hour and tidal waves that swept away homes, crops and livestock.

The most affected areas were the 12 districts of Patuakhali, Borguna, Bagerhat, Bhola, Sarkhira, Barisal, Khulna, Gopalganj, Shariatpur, Pirozpur, Jaalokathi and Gopalganj. More than a million households and hectares of land worth billions of Bangladeshi taka were devastated.

The first of a two phase disaster response programme involved establishing mobile Habitat Resource Centres, all-purpose building centres, for mass production and storage of building materials for core shelter units.

Following the construction of the mobile Resource Centres, Habitat will build 280 core houses. These core houses consist of permanent super-structures that provide the structural support for families to put up temporary walls until they can afford to build permanent walls.

Homes destroyed by the cyclone

The second phase involves Habitat and Christian Aid Ministries (CAM) building another 200 transitional shelters. CAM has also been hosting skilled volunteers in the construction.

HFH Bangladesh

Since 1999, Habitat for Humanity has built and rehabilitated over 1,100 homes in Bangladesh. It operates mainly through Habitat Resource Centres and related satellite centers in local communities. Habitat was already preparing to begin a disaster response programme to assist 150 families who were affected by the July 2007 floods when Cyclone Sidr hit Bangladesh.

Photos by Pierre Johannessen.