Stories compiled by SHOUHARDO Field Staff & edited by Communications Unit - CARE Bangladesh
Kohinoor was seven months pregnant when she heard the cyclone warnings over the loudspeaker from the local mosque. In the region of Karringchar Union, a village in Hatiya where Kohinoor and her family live, natural disasters are frequent and residents are exposed to struggles and face grave losses. But when Cyclone Aila struck Bangladesh on 25 May 2009, it smashed through protective embankments, washing away crops and destroying homes along this exposed stretch of coastline.
Kohinoor's husband, a labourer, was working in another area when the cyclone hit. Kohinoor was at home with her two children and she got the message from a local development organisation that there were floodwaters nearly two metres high surging towards her village. Being pregnant, she was unable to move quickly. But when the water started flooding into her house at 2 p.m., she ran with her two children, a 10-year-old son and seven-year-old girl, in order to seek shelter in another village.
Together with neighbours she came by the riverside where the boat was. Being pregnant and heavy, Kohinoor tripped trying to get into the boat and hurt her belly badly on the side of the boat. She kept losing consciousness and even though her hands held both her children tight, there were moments when she did accidentally let go.
In the midst of panic, chaos and jostling bodies the small boat nearly capsized due to the tidal force of the cyclone, and a few people fell out. It was then that the near-unconscious Kohinoor let go of her seven-year-old daughter's hand. The little girl fell into the water and was feared to have drowned.
Pregnant, injured in her stomach and heartbroken, Kohinoor wept the rest of the way to the safe place, a small shop where they all took shelter for the night. It was here that she had a miscarriage at 8 pm. She was attended to by other women who like her had taken flight in the midst of the madness. Kohinoor experienced excruciating agony and pain; devoid of proper medical services, she haemorrhaged the whole night. Local people gave Kohinoor and her son food.
Upon hearing of Kohinoor’s condition, a staff from CARE’s partner organisation, SSUS, rescued her, and tried to take her to a hospital. The roads were damaged almost everywhere and it was nearly impossible to find transport.
The next morning, a relative received news of Kohinoor's ill fate, and the staff from CARE’s partner organisation arranged for the transport and treatment costs at a hospital 20 km away. Doctors treated her immediately with painkillers and worked to stop the bleeding.
Today, Kohinoor is living with her family at a neighbour’s house. CARE staff provided her with 500BDT(about 7USD) to help her buy basic emergency supplies, and the Government of Bangladesh gave her food and drinking water.
Kohinoor is just one of five million people who have been affected by Cyclone Aila across Southern Bangladesh. More than 600,000 homes have been damaged, and thousands of people were injured. One week after the cyclone, families are still in desperate need of clean water, food, and medical care, and will need help to rebuild their homes and replant their crops. CARE responded immediately, providing food and clean water to people who were forced to flee their homes.
Thanks to early warnings and evacuations, the death toll was low compared to the catastrophic force of the cyclone – 180 people died. But for those who lost family members, like Kohinoor, it will be a long time before they can recover from Cyclone Aila.
Her voice dulled with sadness, Kohinoor says, "I have lost everything that mattered to me. It would have been much better had I died."