Victims of Bhola's Tazumuddin crying for food, water, medicine

Thousands of people of Tazumuddin upazila under the district are passing days under the open sky amid dire need of foods, water, medicine, and other relief materials, four days after cyclone Roanu battered the area on Saturday.

Yesterday morning, this reporter along with other newsmen visited Tazumuddin Bazar and around two hundred houses of Shashiganj, Dewanpur, Balykandi, and Mahajankanda villages in Chandpur union of Tazumuddin and talked to a number of victims.

Water borne diseases have started affecting people, especially children and women, while lack of drinking water, oral saline and medicine made the situation all the more serious.   

“We did not get a single kg of rice or any food as relief. We are managing meal once a day, taking help from relatives or friends who are less affected,” said Shakibur Rahman, a shopkeeper of Tazumuddin Bazar. 

“My sister Rehena Begum died by the storm but none came to help us. I managed a shroud and buried her with much difficulty,” said Rafiquddin of Mahajankanda.

The people, many of whom looked weak apparently due to lack of food, were seen busy to save whatever they could from the debris of their destroyed houses.

“I got a little injured but I could not go to hospital as I cannot move alone,” said Honufa, an elderly woman.

Many of the injured could not even receive treatment locally, as dispensaries and medicine shops got badly damaged by the storm.

Losing their books in the natural calamity, hundreds of students, especially around 40 HSC examinees, are passing a worrying time.

All the domestic animals were lost in the area, said villagers.

Jalaluddin, upazila nirbahi officer of Tazumuddin, said, "We are arranging foods for the victims. The civil surgeon of Bhola visited the affected areas and formed a few medical teams.”

Md Fakrul Alam Jahangir, chairman of Chandpur union parishad, said he has got 20 tonnes of rice and 640 pieces of corrugated iron sheets from the administration which is too scanty for the requirement.

The local MP has assured Tk 10.50 lakh as relief, he added. 

“The cyclone and accompanying surges flooded 15,000 hectares of land, damaging crops, vegetables and betel plantations and washing away most of the fish enclosures as two and a half kilometres of embankment got destroyed,” said Md Selim Chowdhury, deputy commissioner of Bhola.

“Seventy tonnes of rice, 2400 pieces of corrugated iron sheets and Tk 14 lakh in cash was distributed among the victims in all the upazilas of the district. Compensation will be given after getting the assessment report on the losses," he added.

Three people were killed and four others are still missing in Bhola district following the onslaught of cyclone Roanu.