They fought the catastrophic storm and high Uda) bore Monday night and finally survived. The survivors are still struggling, and now it is against hunger and thirst. But their struggle for existence seems yet harder since help and succour are yet to reach the coastal belt of Noakhali where hundreds of thousands fell vicUm to the worst natural( calamity.

The distressed people of

the coastal areas are passing their days in agony even after five days of the disaster. They need food, drinking water, clothings and shelter.

About 200 square-mile coastal area of Noakhali Including a part of Lakshmipur district was battered by the cyclone coupled with 10 to 12 feet high surges. About five lakh inhabitants of the area were badly affected. The death toll in the area is not that high

By Chapa! Bashar

if compared with the casualties in Chittagong and Cox's Bazar. Over 200 deaths were reported so far from the area while more than one thousand, mostly fishermen are still missing. Dwellings have been washed away and the damage to standing crops Is almost 100 per cent.

Noakhah's vast char area was under water till Saturday. Eleven mouzas of Char Clark sUll remain cut off and the fate

of one lakh marooned people of those remote areas is yet to be known. True, it is difficult to approach those places, but little efforts have been made by the concerned authorities to enquire about those ill-fated people. May be, move bodies will be recovered if rescue operation is conducted properly though tt is already late.

Those inaccessible mouzas' are known as Char Akramuddin. Char Alauddtn.

Char Lakshmi. South Char Clark. North Char Clark. Char Keramatpur. Char Baishakhl. Char Gangchil. Char Dhaner Shish. Char Nabagram and Char Batirtek.

Char Clark is the worst affected union of Noakhaii's

by the tidal bore Almost all the thatched houses of the affected area have been washed away or badly damaged. Those who survived the onslaught saved

themselves taking shelter on the embankments. A few cyclone shelters of the area have helped many, but those were too far for many others to reach In time.

The wind speed was terrible — I was about to be blown away". said Zamaluddin. a poor peasant who managed to take shelter on Char Torah All em bankment with his family He Is still living there under the

open sky since his thatched house was washed away

This correspondent visited the coastal area Wednesday and found the decomposed body of one Anwara (10) near Char Torab Alt embankment Her father Fazlul Haque and other members of the family could not be traced till then.

Local people informed that they had recovered 10 other bodies from the water near the embankment and all were buried. At least 25 people of that locality were missing.

Carcasses were found scattered around the area. Fifty per cent of the cattle-head of Char Torab Alt perished in the tidal surge-

Acute scarcity of drinking water is prevailing all over the char area. The char people were mainly dependent on hand tube-wells for drinking water, but those remained inoperative since the cyclone. Ponds are also filled with saline water.

Nur Hossain, a primary school teacher of Char Clark, said, ‘diarrhoea and other water-borne diseases may break out in epidemic form If supply of drinking water is not arranged soon."

The inhabitants of the char areas are mosily peasants who have lost all their standing crops.

Abdul Malek, a middle-aged farmer of Char Clark, said. T have lost all the Rabi crops including Aus. These arc now under water. 1 could save myself and my family from the storm, but now I don’t know how to survive."

Same is the condition of thousands of peasants in the coastal areas.

"The water will go down sooner or later, but it will leave salinity on the fields for which cultivation will not be possible at least for three months", said an elderly peasant of the area

Relief from Noakhali district administration reached Char Clark area two days after the disaster. On Wednesday afternoon, a small relief team, carrying some biscuits, 'chlra.' molasses and match boxes reached Char Torab All. a part of Char Clark. The members of the relief team had to experience a difficult situation since the quantity was too little to meet the requirement. However, they could distribute smoothly with the help of the local volunteers.

Each of the affected people got one or two hundred grams of chlra. a little molasses, four pieces of biscuits and a match box.

Mohammad Ismail (30) of Char Torab All said, "this Is my first food after the storm."

The team also distributed some chlra. molasses and biscuits among the hungry people at Churasta Bazar of Char Clark. When the team was returning after distributing the relief materials. their jeep was stopped and surrounded at many places by the hungry people.

Enayetullah. a young man of the area said, none from the government or any non-gov-ernment organisation visited the affected char areas before, though the char areas were approachable by road.

Breaches at different points on all the embankments tn the coastal area were clearly visible — which will only increase sufferings of the people during tides.

The condition of Char Jabbar. Klllar Char. Char Bhatirtek, Char Jubilee and other coastal areas was found almost similar to that of Char Clark and signs of devastation were visible alt over the coastal belt of the district.

In Companyganj upazila the worst affected areas are Char Elahi. Char Kalahari. Char Musapur. Char Kalmi. Dau lat Gram. Bhatia and other places.

1t was alleged by an inhabitant of Companyganj’s affected area that none from the government visited the area over after three days of the disaster. According to an official report. 32 people were killed In Companyganj and the damage to houses way heavy.

In Lakshmipur district, the coastal areas of Ramgati upazila were severely affected. The district administration confirmed nine deaths while unofficial sources believe the death toll is much higher since a large number of fishermen is still missing. Five fishing boats carrying about 25 fishermen did not return from sea after the cyclone and it is apprehended that they are dead.

An official source has confirmed that the death toll In the coastal areas of Noakhali district has over 200 till now. which Is likely to rise further.

When contaqted. Mohammad Shahjahan. the MP elected from Noakhali sadar constituency, termed the devastation in the coastal areas as colossal and agreed that the relief materials provided for the affected people were inadequate. The MP. who has visited Char Clark and other coastal areas added that all-out efforts were being taken to save the affected people.