More than 3,000 dead and the number may increase, officials say

New Delhi, November 19, 2007. - Although the official death count is so far over 3,000, the secretary general of the Red Crescent, Abdur Rob, said the toll could rise much yet, as a delegate from the organization quantified by seven million people affected by cyclone.
Bangladesh today called for international aid for victims of Cyclone "Sidr" which are in a desperate situation due to lack of clean water, food and shelter, and to the growing fear of an outbreak of epidemics.
"We are doing all we can, but the magnitude of the calamity is simply too big," he said in a statement Bengali Minister of Foreign Affairs Iftekhar Ahmed Chowdhury, who was confident the country will receive international assistance in a "hour of need."
The "Sidr" ("Eye" in Bengali) Thursday devastated the coast of Bangladesh with winds of 233 kilometers per hour caused a rise of five meters of the ocean and destroyed hundreds of thousands of flimsy houses and crops.
Both Crescent and the Government of Dhaka now warn that victims of "Sidr" face the risk of epidemics in the coming days, especially due to poor sanitary conditions.
"So far no news of epidemics, but the risk exists. We are working on the ground to avoid it, especially by providing clean water, "Efe said a delegate of the organization.
"There is a risk of epidemics, and people continue to need water, food and shelter," declared itself an official of Bangladesh Control Center, an agency under the Ministry of Disaster Management.
Described by meteorologists as one of the worst cyclones in recent years, the effects of "Sidr" were lessened because landfall at low tide and that the authorities launched a timely evacuation plan covering about 3.2 million people.
Still, the damage was extensive, and the rescue and relief organizations on the ground continue to support the Army.
Today, rescue teams finally agreed to one of the most remote areas, the offshore island of Dublarchar, in the south, which was one of the hardest hit by the hurricane.
"I sent my people to Dublarchar material aid and medicine. Normality is slowly returning, today fishermen finally went fishing, I am told, "said District Commissioner of Bagerhat, Sahidul Islam.
However, "its people", the officer Habi Hassan, told Efe on a satellite phone that the situation on the island is bleak, and stressed that there are still bodies floating in the waters of the area, where between 350 and 600 missing persons.
In Dublarchar, in fact, the magnitude of the drama is greater because the island serves as a base for fishermen for six months a year, this fishing season, but just have places to take cover and just have some huts for shelter.
"There were 600 fishing boats before the hurricane, said Hassan and now 100 are stranded or lost even inside the jungle, because the flood waters retreated after dragging. There are no official figures, only bodies in the jungle. It was a total disaster. "
In Dublarchar have died, according to Hassan, 150 people, including the head of the brotherhood of fishermen, Jagannath Das, who, according to the newspaper "The Daily Star," preferred to stay at home sitting on their bamboo bags of fish to that the waves carried him away.
For Das, and buried, reflects the many villagers who had lost faith in meteorologists, after several warnings, a notice of possible tsunami included-are not met.
"Two years ago, we were told we would die when the wave arrived. We ran to shelters without a second thought. But nothing happened and came back and our houses had been looted, "he told the newspaper Anwara Khatun, whom the" Sidr "has taken his mother and two nephews.
Both the Bangladesh Army as NGOs distributed rations of rice and water in most affected areas in southern and southwestern Bangladesh, a country that has experienced 80 cyclones in the last 125 years.
But in the isolated Dublarchar, people are fighting over the water.
"We're almost back to normal. But he had never seen such devastation, "the commissioner told Efe Islam.

More than 2,500 killed in cyclone "Sidr" as aid begins to arrive

New Delhi, November 18, 2007. - Three days after the terrible passage of the Bangladesh cyclone "Sidr" rescue teams continue their search for survivors, while the provisional count rises to 2,542 dead and, according to the Red Cross, between six and seven million homeless.
"According to our accounts, there are 1,458 wounded and 1,066 missing. Clearly we need help, "an official told Efe Control Center of the Ministry of Disaster Management in the capital, Dhaka.
According to the official, department officials also held a meeting with "foreign" to organize the help system and to effectively reach the millions of dollars already committed by the United Nations, the European Union and countries such as Germany and Spain, among others .
Described by officials as the worst cyclone Meteorology in decades, the "Sidr" ("eye" in Bengali) swept the coastline of Bangladesh with winds of 233 kilometers per hour and caused a flood of the sea of five meters in a country where 60 million people live less than 10 meters above the ocean.
The Ministry of Disaster Management has started to publish estimates of the effects of the hurricane that figure at 2.7 million affected, 242,000 animals dead, 273,000 houses destroyed and 7,340 hectares of crops completely destroyed.
While the official tally of victims is slower than the estimates of damage from Dhaka, a Red Cross spokesman told Efe by telephone that the dead could be over 3,000, and that there are six to seven million affected.
Earlier, the president of the organization in the country, Abdur Rob, had even ensure that there was "a possibility" according to past experiences and information, that the final count exceeds 10,000 people.
Rob asked for an initial grant of 400 million taka (5.87 million).
The effects were lessened because of the storm made ​​landfall at low tide and the implementation of an evacuation plan that was able to evacuate in time to the areas most exposed to 3.2 million people.
But everywhere the villagers heard the authorities and so Barguna, one of the most affected districts, many had lost faith in meteorologists, after several warnings, a notice of possible tsunami included-are not met.
"They learned the wrong lesson and did not hear the message of the authorities, who knows if you have paid," said the Bengali daily "The Daily Star" Mayor Barguna, Shah Jahan.
"I never saw so great a level of devastation," said Governor Bagerhat district, Sahidul Islam.
From this district, the most beaten up by the cyclone with 610 dead so far, the field officer of the Red Cross, M. Sakktar, told Efe that the aid has already started and that people need now, above all, water.
"We are distributing rice, but people need above all drinking water because the pipes do not work. The city resisted partially flooding the cyclone, but the surrounding areas are completely destroyed, "he said.
In the coastal districts, tens of thousands of people live these days in the open, without access to food, water or medicine, and the survivors are still struggling through tears to bury their loved ones with dignity.
"Our volunteers are still combing coastal areas in search of survivors. It is difficult to get aid to some areas, "said Sakktar.
Among the most isolated areas include the islands off the coast, as Dublarchar.
There, the fate of many of its inhabitants remain unknown: during the season, fishermen gather by the thousands on the island, where they establish a base of operations to coming to take refuge when the weather becomes inclement.
One of them, Wahed, he found his comrade Milon floating unconscious in the water of a "khal" (canal) near Dublarchar 32 hours after the storm.
Both told a reporter from the newspaper "The Daily Star" that the island hosted this time some 7,000 fishermen in the delta of the Ganges, who, as usual, had taken refuge in the channels to temporarily protect the storm.
"This time the fishermen also took refuge in the khals, but never returned," said an official of Bagerhat.

Slow rescue efforts in Bangladesh after cyclone killed nearly 1,800

New Delhi, November 17, 2007. - Already become an area of low pressure cyclone "Sidr" broke up today after leaving Bangladesh as it passes through at least 1,795 dead, according to government figures, although other sources say up to 3,000- and 3.2 million displaced people struggling to rebuild their lives.
According to meteorologists, the "Sidr" ("Eye" in Bengali), a tremendous storm that at times reached the size of Bangladesh, was the worst suffered by this country in a century, but fortunately hit the coast coincides with the tide low.
Despite this, the cyclone has caused 1,795 deaths, according to the Government, although unofficial sources quoted by the agency UNB Bengali say could be more than 3,000 deaths.
So far, several hundred people still missing, even though the phone lines and power lines have begun to work on some points.
According to an official told Efe from the Control Centre of the Ministry of Disaster Management Bengali, rescuers are still trying to reach some areas of coastline and nearby islands.
"The death toll will rise. Now important to get aid to survivors. Help from anywhere, nationally and internationally. Lack food, "a spokesman told Efe the center.
The experts are pleased that at least a major catastrophe was averted, thanks to evacuation plans developed five years ago which the authorities were able to warn the population and have abandoned their homes in advance.
In addition, the series "could have caused a brutal catastrophe have coincided with high tide," said the director of the Office of Meteorology, Samerendra Karkamar, who said winds of 233 kilometers per hour mark that brought a sad record.
The "Sidr" destroyed thousands of hectares of crops and trees, swept away the power line and knocked the poor tin and bamboo constructions that serve as housing for millions of coastal residents.
Last night, the rescue work was hampered by the power cut that left Bangladesh in the dark and affected the water supply, transport systems and telephone networks.
The Cross and Red Crescent to assist the survivors, the UN has pledged several million dollars in aid and started to get other international contributions ads.
U.S. has chartered two helicopters and amphibious ships with health care teams, while the European Union announced an aid of 1.5 billion euros and 750,000 euros of Spain.
The aid will help to improve a situation which is now pure desolation, the work of the Army, Navy, Coast Guard and the police does not come anywhere near to meeting the needs of the millions affected.
In some coastal villages, as Rajeswar, Rampal or Dublarchar, survivors still searching for their loved ones in the fields, shrubs and channels, hoping to find someone still alive, according to UNB.
The areas most affected are the coastal areas of Bagerhat, with 610 deaths, Barguna, with 362, Patuakhali, with 249, and Pirojpur, with 254, but still unknown fate of more than a hundred boats could not return to port .
In addition, officials fear the effects of the hurricane in the Sundarbans delta, a swampy area where protected species live, such as the Bengal tiger.
A Navy team gained access into the afternoon two of the five islands of the Ganges delta sediments, and the testimony of survivors was bleak: said hundreds of inhabitants of other islands had been dragged along to their homes.
The "Sidr" caused a rise of five meters of the ocean in a country where 60 million people live less than 10 meters above sea level.
The Bengalis are used to cyclones: in the last 125 years there have been 80 and have caused two million deaths. The most devastating typhoon occurred in 1970 and killed 500,000 people.
"The Sidr has been stronger than the year 70. At least this time helped us early warnings to seek shelter, and even then the damage is colossal, "he told UNB a survivor of 60 years.
The evacuation was organized on Wednesday Crescent with a special system of flags, drums and sounds of cow horns, some 600,000 people were housed in shelters.
Others simply ran to higher ground.

Hurricane "Sidr" destroys Bangladesh with over a thousand dead and millions evacuated

New Delhi, November 16, 2007. - The hurricane "Sidr" left a trail today tragic passing through Bangladesh where, with no electricity and communications cut, the counts are already talking about more than 1,000 people died and 3.2 million displaced .
The hurricane came to Bangladesh on Thursday night and swept the coastline with winds of 240 kilometers per hour caused a sea level rise of five meters and destroying thousands of houses, trees and power lines.
With many areas still cut off, the media do their own counts Bengali and Bangladeshi news agency UNB said, quoting official sources, the death toll rises to at least 1,100 dead and 300 missing.
Meanwhile, the UN said today that preliminary information from Blangladesh suggest that the violent storm caused about 1,000 deaths and injuries "extremely serious" as it passes through the populous Asian country.
In New York, the UN undersecretary general for humanitarian affairs, John Holmes, said today that the organization has spread and "several million dollars" from its emergency fund to respond to the consequences of the storm, whose exact size is evaluated with the Government of Bangladesh.
The country is virtually in the dark and the most affected districts, particularly in the coastline, still without potable water, transportation system or phone connection, so the death toll could still rise.
"There are remote areas and islands off the coast to which rescuers have not yet been reached," said Disaster Management Secretary Ayub Mian.
Most deaths are people who took refuge in their small houses of bamboo and tin, insufficient for protection from strong winds, but officials remain concerned about the fate of dozens of small boats that could not return to shore.
After ravaging the south, the storm moved toward the center of Bangladesh, where is situated the capital, Dhaka, and become a tropical storm moved towards the Indian regions of Tripura and Assam.
Dhaka airport and main port in the southern city of Chittagong, are kept closed by the winds, which makes it difficult for humanitarian organizations and international organizations working in the field.
As announced by the Red Cross, about 3.2 million people had been evacuated on Thursday in 15 districts of Bangladesh in anticipation of the destruction of "Sidr", but only 620,000 of them could stay in special shelters, while others simply left their homes to higher ground.
"Of course the work is not enough, there are hundreds dead. We have limited resources. But on the ground tell us that this storm had the same intensity as 1991. This time we were better prepared, "he told Efe a spokesman for the organization in South Asia, Devinder Tak.
Tak referred to a tremendous hurricane still alive in the memory of the Bangladeshis, which killed 150,000 people after lifting an eight-meter wave.
The Cross and Red Crescent teams are already working on the ground to alleviate the effects of the hurricane on the population, aid will be linked to the 98 metric tons of food to those affected by the World Food Programme Nations United.
Bangladesh is often hit by hurricanes and, as calculated by meteorologists in the last 125 years the costs have been hit by 80 major storms that have killed more than 2 million people and left dozens homeless of millions.
In the country, 60 of its 140 million people live less than 10 meters above sea level, so a flood of it as the one that occurred this morning have catastrophic consequences.
"This has been one of the worst nightmares of this kind I have ever experienced," he said, recounting the night, an old man of Patuakhali, flooded towns like Bagerhat, Barisal and Barguna, the latter known as "daughter of the sea" .

Hurricane "Sidr" destroys Bangladesh with hundreds dead and millions evacuated

New Delhi, November 16, 2007. - The hurricane "Sidr" left a trail today tragic passing through Bangladesh where, with no electricity and communications cut, the counts are already talking about more than 467 people dead and 3.2 million displaced .
The hurricane came to Bangladesh on Thursday night and swept the coastline with winds of 240 kilometers per hour caused a sea level rise of five meters and destroying thousands of houses, trees and power lines.
With many areas still cut off, the agency UNB Bengali opted for a district to district count, shedding and the number of 467 dead and thousands injured, though a few hours before a government spokesman had said the dead were 233, in the absence three areas.
"They may be over 233. But look, we have no electricity, no lights, no more information. We are now in complete darkness and we know nothing, "said an official from Dhaka Efe Control Center of the Ministry of Disaster Management.
The country is virtually in the dark and the most affected districts, particularly in the coastline, still without potable water, transportation system or phone connection, so the death toll could still rise.
"There are remote areas and islands off the coast to which rescuers have not yet been reached," said Disaster Management Secretary Ayub Mian.
Most deaths are people who took refuge in their small houses of bamboo and tin, insufficient for protection from strong winds, but officials remain concerned about the fate of dozens of small boats that could not return to shore.
After ravaging the south, the storm moved toward the center of Bangladesh, where is situated the capital, Dhaka, and become a tropical storm moved towards the Indian regions of Tripura and Assam.
Dhaka airport and main port in the southern city of Chittagong, are kept closed by the winds, which makes it difficult for humanitarian organizations and international organizations working in the field.
As announced by the Red Cross, about 3.2 million people had been evacuated on Thursday in 15 districts of Bangladesh in anticipation of the destruction of "Sidr", but only 620,000 of them could stay in special shelters, while others simply left their homes to higher ground.
"Of course the work is not enough, there are hundreds dead. We have limited resources. But on the ground tell us that this storm had the same intensity as 1991. This time we were better prepared, "he told Efe a spokesman for the organization in South Asia, Devinder Tak.
Tak referred to a tremendous hurricane still alive in the memory of the Bangladeshis, which killed 150,000 people after lifting an eight-meter wave.
The Cross and Red Crescent has several teams working on the ground to alleviate the effects of the hurricane on the population, aid will be linked to the 98 metric tons of food to those affected by the World Food Programme Nations United.
Bangladesh is often hit by hurricanes and, as calculated by meteorologists in the last 125 years the costs have been hit by 80 major storms that have killed more than 2 million people and left dozens homeless of millions.
In the country, 60 of its 140 million people live less than 10 meters above sea level, so a flood of the sea as the one that occurred this morning have catastrophic consequences.
"This has been one of the worst nightmares of this kind I have ever experienced," he said, recounting the night, an elder of the city of Patuakhali, flooded towns like Bagerhat, Barisal and Barguna, the latter known as "daughter the sea. "
With the advent of "Sidr", the sea rose again yesterday to take her.