Around 12,000 homes have been damaged by Cyclone Mocha in Saint Martin’s Island and Cox’s Bazar, Enamur Rahman, state minister for disaster management and relief, said yesterday.
Of these, some 2,000 were completely damaged and the rest partially damaged.
“Some people were injured by falling trees and were given treatment at local hospitals,” he told journalists at the secretariat.
“We were able to bring all people from risky areas to the shelter centers. That’s why there are no reported deaths.”
The authorities concerned have been instructed to distribute tin sheets and cash assistance for rehabilitation of those affected by the storm, Enamur said.
“A list of the cyclone victims is being prepared. They will be given assistance according to their needs.”
Meanwhile, around 100 people are living out in the open in Shahporir Dwip, after Cyclone Mocha decimated their houses.
“The tin roof of my house was blown away by the storm. As I don’t have the financial means to repair it right now, my family and I are living under the open sky,” said Abdul Haque, a resident of the island.
People there are also suffering from an acute crisis of drinking water.
Around 300 families of Jaliapara depend on a single deep tube-well, which has been dysfunctional since Saturday morning due to load-shedding.
“We are now having to boil saline water to make it drinkable,” said Laila Begum, of Jaliapara in Shahporir Dwip.
Visiting the area yesterday morning, a correspondent of The Daily Star saw many people busy repairing their houses and shops.
They alleged that traders were overcharging them for the material needed for repair work, as the demands are now high after the cyclone.
Shafiul Alam, of the same area, said, “I am trying to repair my partially-damaged grocery shop. Normally, we can buy 100 bamboo pieces for Tk 3,500, but the traders are now charging us Tk 5,000.”
Trader Jafar Alam, however, denied the allegation and said the price hike was due to a crisis of bamboo.
Meanwhile, Saint Martin’s Island was still out of electricity till the filing of this report at 8:30pm last night, as electric cables and utility poles were damaged in the cyclone’s impact, Mujibur Rahman, chairman of Saint Martin union parishad, said.
Muhammad Shaheen Imran, deputy commissioner in Cox’s Bazar, yesterday visited the island and handed over 1,000 sacks of rice as relief.
He also announced that cash and tin sheets will be distributed among the victims.
Source: The Daily Star
