Fani from the frontlines

Earlier this month, our coastal regions were struck by cyclone Fani, which brought prolonged tidal surges, and strong winds, and killed some 14 people in eight districts and destroyed thousands of homes.

Friendship staff in Kalatoli, Patuakhali, Jewel Hasan and Md. Tauhidur Rahman, give an hour-by-hour report from the coast, as the cyclone strikes.

Friendship has been working on Disaster Management in the coastal belt since 2007. In each village in its working areas, we have a Friendship Disaster Management Committee (FDMC), composed of members from the community. FDMCs assess disaster risks, identify the most vulnerable populations and work around the year to build resilience.

Last year Friendship opened a cyclone shelter-cum-clinic in Lotachapli union in Kalatoli, Patuakhali. When we were hit by Fani, we mobilized our teams to deal with the storm effectively and minimize the losses to the inhabitants of the coastal areas.

April 28

The Cyclone Preparedness Program (CPP) office in Kalatoli informs us that a cyclone has formed in the deep sea and is moving north. We alert the FDMCs within our working areas and advise fishermen to stay close to the shore.

May 1

There are just under 200 shelters in Kalatoli upazila, most of which are school buildings designed to serve as shelters during a disaster situation. FDMC members assist CPP in ensuring all of these are functional.

At 3pm CPP raises the local warning signal number 4.

The weather appears normal.

May 2

Friendship’s cyclone shelter-cum-clinic is evacuated. Medical facilities are temporarily stored away to accommodate refugees.

Friendship staff from all sectors are relegated to disaster management and assigned separate responsibilities, such as ensuring availability of safe water, usability of latrines, operation of the generator and care for the elderly and disabled.

In the afternoon, CPP raises danger signal number 7.

At this point the weather is still normal and sunny, with no apparent indication of an approaching storm.

May 3

The weather is breezy and cloudy in the morning. At 12.30pm stormy winds blow for 15 to 20 minutes, and then calm down. The wind picks up again after an hour but only for a while. There is no rain.

Electricity supply is intermittent until 12 noon, after which power is cut off.

The tide is particularly high at this time because of the new moon. With the incoming tide, people start to arrive from the villages outside the embankment. Teams are sent to the vulnerable areas to urge people to evacuate to shelters.

Between 3 and 4pm, 100 people arrive at the Friendship Cyclone Shelter. Based on information from the FDMCs, the cyclone shelter is prepared to help those in the most difficult conditions, such as those with damaged houses and those living outside the protection of the embankment.

After 4pm the weather gets worse. News arrives that Fani will make landfall at midnight. Another 150 people now arrive at the shelter. The winds howl at 40 to 50 km/h. The sky grows dark, and there is light rain.

As the sky darkens, people continue to arrive in groups of five or ten. The generator is switched on. Some 400 people finally seek refuge at the shelter. The overwhelming majority are women and children.

Staff remain on duty on a rotation basis overnight, including female health staff, who stay to take care of women and the elderly as well as the pregnant and disabled.

May 4

At midnight the storm peaks with winds reaching up to 90 km/h. There is heavy rainfall. Despite the wind, the air is very warm and humid. The storm eases somewhat after 90 minutes, but winds, rain and lightning continue till dawn.

By 8.30 am only 28 people are left in shelter. The rest have already returned to their homes.

We survey the project areas and surrounding places. Usually during a cyclone, despite the government and NGO’s urges to evacuate, one member from most households stays behind to protect their property. This time is no exception.

In Lalua, Kolapara, where the embankment has been damaged since the Mohsin cyclone six years ago is completely flooded, and one fatality is reported. In Patuakhali, one person is reported to have died and four more injured in the storm. No deaths or injuries are reported in our working areas.

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