CAFOD (the Catholic Agency for Overseas Development) has committed an initial £200,000 to help victims of the Bangladesh cyclone as it works closely with its partners on the ground to provide emergency relief.
CAFOD partner Caritas Bangladesh already prepared its humanitarian response in anticipation of Cyclone Cidr by opening an emergency control room in advance, issuing advanced warnings of the arriving cyclone and assisting with the evacuation of people and livestock.
The super cyclonic storm has wrought huge devastation acoss Bangladesh after hitting the country's coast last Thursday evening.
Millions have been left homeless and the latest death toll stood at 3,447 on Tuesday afternoon.
Aid is only now trickling in to remote areas after trees and debris hurled down by the cyclone damaged road and telecommunication infrastructure.
Pauline Taylor-McKeown, CAFOD's Head of International Department: Asia, said: “The death toll keeps rising, hundreds of thousands are homeless as homes have been washed away or crushed and livestock has been killed. Many families are still staying in cyclone shelters because they have nowhere else to go, and conditions are extremely crowded.
“There is an urgent need for food, shelter and medical care. Drinking water is also a priority as many pumps have been washed away. Caritas and our other partners in Bangladesh are already distributing relief.”
CAFOD will be coordinating its aid response with the Caritas International network of Catholic aid agencies.
The agency noted that many lives were saved in districts with cyclone shelters. Around 2,000 have been constructed since 1991 and CAFOD supported some of construction efforts.
The situation remains desperate for many, however. "Little could be done to protect people’s homes and livelihoods from the super cyclone’s onslaught. The coastal area is very poor and in many villages little remains to even show where houses used to exist," CAFOD said.
