Early warning systems and preventative measures – including the evacuation of millions of people – ahead of the arrival of Cyclone Fani in india and Bangladesh saved countless lives, according to World Vision’s national director in Bangladesh.
Fred Witteveen said the “minimal adverse impact of extreme Cyclone Fani is a testament to the country’s preparedness”.
Top and middle – Residents in from Balianta, Bhubaneswar, India, living in a safe shelter camp; Bottom – Devastation after the cyclone in eastern India. PICTURES: World Vision.
“We worked with the government and other NGOs to evacuate people in our operational areas within Chattogram, Barisal, Bagerhat, Satkhira, Pirojpur and Barguna districts, to cyclone shelters, but communities themselves were ready and knew what to do when,” says Mr Witteveen.
He said long-term investment in building community had “paid off”.
“The most vulnerable people, living in the most disaster-prone areas, are better equipped to cope with disasters – and survive.”
At least 34 people were killed and hundreds of thousands left homeless in eastern India – including in the coastal town on Puri – when the cyclone hit on Friday with winds of up to 200kph. The cyclone then weakened and moved north-east into neighbouring Bangladesh where at least five people have been reported killed and thousands more homes destroyed. More than a million people had been evacuated in India and more than 1.5 million in Bangladesh prior to the storm’s arrival.
World Vision is providing food, shelter, water, sanitation and hygiene services to 20,000 families affected by the cyclone. It has also started setting up so-called “child friendly spaces” in centres for displaced people.
Tabitha Vani, a child protection specialist for World Vision India, said children were particularly vulnerable after such a storm.
“Apart from physical dangers such as being hit by flying debris, children can get separated from their parents in the chaos,” she said. “In the aftermath they are susceptible to contagious diseases. The displaced children have been through so much hardship.”
Vani said the child friendly spaces allow children to “forget about their troubles and start to rebuild”.
“It is wonderful to hear laughter and see children play, draw and just be children again,” she said.
World Vision is working closely with the government to assess damage to homes, schools and local buildings in the districts of Khordha, Puri and Jagatsinghpur.
~ www.worldvision.com.au/donate/help-children/emergencies
