Widow suffers double blow
For Monwara Begum, fate was always crueller than imagined. On the night of November 9, the cyclonic storm Bulbul even damaged her last fragile shelter where she lived for the last nine years with her mentally challenged daughter.
The 60-year-old widow hails from Tungibaria village in Patuakhali’s Rangabali upazila.
After her husband’s demise 10 years back, Monwara lived in a shanty on a piece of their land with her two children. But her son Nasir Bayatee left for Dhaka in 2000 and since then she ran her two-member family by begging.
But her luck betrayed her again on November 9. She along with her daughter took shelter at the cyclone centre following Bulbul on the day.
After returning from the centre, Monwara found the shanty totally damaged under the influence of Cyclone Bulbul and became frustrated. Since then she has been living at the veranda of a neighbour’s house with her mentally challenged daughter Farida.
“I run my family somehow but I’m very helpless now as my only shelter was totally damaged by the storm,” said Monwara.
“I live on begging and I have no ability to rebuild a new house. So, where I will live with my mentally challenged daughter from now?” she said, adding that her only son left her in utter despair and now how she will survive?
Anyone is yet to come forward to help them, said Monwara.
Contacted, Upazila Nirbahi Officer Md Mashfaqur Rahman said he is trying his best to manage a new house for the widow and her mentally challenged daughter.
A total of 2,808 houses have been damaged by the storm in the district.
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