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EC Help for Bangladesh Cyclone
DURING the night of 29-30 April 1991 a cyclone of exceptional force struck the densely populated tow-lying off-shore islands and south-eastern coast of Bangladesh.
Winds of over 200 km per hour and torrential rains lashed the area all night; tar worse mountainous seas piled up by the gales Into a tidal surge 6-7 metres high in places, swamped the Islands, raced Inland and burst over the coastal embankments, submerging parts of the mainland from Noakhali to Cox's Bazar — a distance of 150 km.
An estimated 140.000 people died, mostly by drowning. Thousands more were Injured and countless survivors tost relatives, homes and their livelihood 840.000 houses were destroyed. 6.700 schools destroyed or damaged. Lives tock losses — catjie. sheep, goats, poultry — ran into millions Damage to fisheries, forests and Infrastructure was extensive. Altogether al least 12 million people were seriously and directly affected.
Emergency relief
Rescue and relief opera lions were launched Immediately by the Bangladesh au thoritte* and focal volunteer organisations. A military task force and 200 medical teams were despatched to the disas ter area. Deliveries of food, water and medicines began on 1 May. but continuing bad weather — high winds, heavy rain, rough seas — hampered civilian and military efforts The adverse conditions and the scale of the disaster made outside help necessary
The international community was quick to respond to the government's appeal. Air — and sea-borne operations were reinforced with helicopters, planes and vessels from the United States. India. Pakistan. Egypt. Thailand, Japan and the United Kingdom. Many donors, including several EC member states, made prompt and substantial cash contributions to NOO relief activities. The Commission decided an emergency aid of 2 million ECU for immediate relief supplies — food, clothing, shelter and medicines — to be bought and distributed by the Bangladesh
Red Crescent, two local and two European NGOs. At the same time EC emergency food aid was approved: 45,000 tons of wheat and 1.500 tons of vegetable oil. to be drawn from existing food stocks in the country which the Community would replenish in the follow ing months. These quantities were for distribution to especially vulnerable cyclone victims and. as food for work, to people employed on temporary repairs to embankments.
On 22 May the Commission granted a second emergency aid of 500,000 ECU. to finance temporary housing for another 1500 families (its Initial aid had included shelter for over 5000 households' the dc-wa tering of contaminated ponds and the remm .d of debris.
Postxyclone assistance
Bv carh u ic the cmer
gency relief phase was drawing to a close and the government was seeking help for rehablli tation. The tidal surge had washed away one third of the 1200 km of coastal embank ments. leaving agricultural land exposed to sail water flooding. More than 2000 km of roads had been damaged Houses, schools, factories, power lines, rice fields, shrimp farms Faced with multi million dollar damage, the government could only indicate the most pressing needs:
• food aid for he destitute
• housing, water, sanitation • schools
• flood control works
• Cyclone shelters (the 300 exisllng ones had protected 230,000 people — the early warning system had functioned a. 3 but many more lives
could have been saved if there had been more shelters).
The representatives of the Member States in the EC council of Ministers had al ready agreed that part of the Member States' combined minimum contribution of 60 MECU would Include funds for rehabilitation, and that a( least an extra 20 MECU would be provided from the Community budget for post-cyclone aid. To propose a coherent overall response, the Commission despatched a mission to Bangladesh in June. Armed with first hand knowledge of the situation, -and after discussions with the local authorities and other donors, the mission recommended. for the Community contribution, a mixture of food aid financial aid and technical assistance: the Rest to help the most vulnerable families — those left with virtually nothing after the cyclone — and to support repairs to embankments and roads; the second to finance the construction of primary schools that would also serve as cyclone shelters, and the rehabilitation of damaged food storage depots; and the third to design and supervise the construction of new embankments (to be financed by the World Bank).
The mission also suggested opportunities for Member States bilateral aid.
Community projects based on these proposals were ap proved In the autumn. Work on the ncW shclters-cum-schools was due to start in early 19Q2.