BMS World Mission

Help for Cyclone Aila's victims

20/08/2009

 

Money from BMS World Mission's Relief Appeal has helped rebuild lives in India and Bangladesh, following the devastation caused by Cyclone Aila in May this year.



Around 330 people were killed, at least 8,200 are missing, one million were made homeless, an estimated 20 million were at risk of post-disaster diseases and almost four million people were adversely affected by the torrential rain and subsequent flooding which hit the east Indian state of West Bengal and Bangladesh on 25 May.


Cyclone Aila wrought havoc in both towns and the countryside. Around 1,400 kilometres of embankments, built in the 1960s to protect agricultural land, were washed away, leaving hundreds of villages and tens of thousands of croplands and shrimp beds exposed to sea water.

 

Numerous trees were uprooted, domestic animals were destroyed, power lines came down, water wells disappeared or were contaminated by salt water and roads were blocked by floodwaters or debris, hampering relief efforts.

Aila Victims Rebuild

Aila struck in much the same area as Cyclone Sidr almost two years previously, and people in that region had only just began to recover from the effects of Sidr.



Working through its Kolkata office, a grant of £12,500 was given to help people recover. In phase one of the operation, BMS provided basic necessities to 100 families in Harbhangi village in South 24 Paraganas district of India. Items included tin sheets, bamboo poles, mosquito nets, nails, buckets, mugs, soap, detergent powder and toothpaste.


In phase two, house building materials and household items were distributed to 82 families in Sub Namaskar village in Dulki and 18 families in Gosaba.


Three churches in Harbhangi, Dulki and Gosaba are also being repaired as part of the relief effort.


A £2,700 grant was also given by BMS for similar restoration work in Bangladesh.
If you would like to contribute to provide relief for people around the world, who have been hit by disasters, or affected by war, famine or drought, you can give to the BMS Relief Appeal by clicking here.

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