CA urges help as death toll nears 3,000

adviser Fakhruddin Ahmed Monday called on every able person to assist in the rescue and rehabilitation of cyclone-ravaged people of the south. The death count neared the 3,000 mark four days into a devastating tropical storm that tore through Bangladesh with monstrous waves and deadly winds, officials said Monday. Grieving survivors and rescuers picked through the rubble left in the wake of the super cyclone as the death toll continued to rise and a government official declared the disaster "a national calamity". The CA could not hold back tears as he visited Majherchar in the coastal district of Barguna. "I understand and appreciate the indomitable courage of our coastal people. The loss of lives and property has, therefore, been reduced because the locals faced it boldly," he later said to reporters at Barguna Circuit House. He said the government had already allocated Tk 1.38 crore for the cyclone-hit people of Barguna district and that they would get another Tk 1.5 crore in the next phase of rehabilitation. Military ships and helicopters tried to reach thousands of people believed stranded on islands in the Bay of Bengal and in coastal areas still cut off by the devastating storm. Officials expected the death toll to rise further as the search for hundreds of people missing after Thursday night's storm intensified. Bangladesh Red Crescent Society estimated that the death count would climb to 10,000. "Based on our experience in the past and reports from the scene I would guess the death toll may be as high as 10,000," Red Crescent Society chairman Mohammad Abdur Rob told reporters. "It will take several days to complete the search and know the actual casualty figure and extent of damage to property," said food and disaster ministry official Mohammad Ayub Miah. Local officials in affected areas say the death toll given by the ministry is far below the real numbers. "Some 2,000 people have died in my area alone," said Anwar Panchayet, chairman of Southkhali, in the district of Bagerhat. A huge effort was underway to get food, drinking water and shelter to tens of thousands affected by the storm, the worst to hit disaster-prone country since 1991 when nearly 143,000 people died. Most of the deaths came from the surge washing away homes and strong winds blowing down dwellings. Many others drowned or were lost at sea. Helicopters flew sorties to devastated areas, dropping food, drinking water and medicine for the survivors. "There are not many places where we can land," said one pilot, as large areas were still under water. Several fishermen picked by a trawler from sea said they saw dozens of bodies floating in the waters near the Sundarbans mangrove forest, a world heritage site and home to the endangered Royal Bengal tiger. They also saw scores of dead deer and other wildlife floating in the Pashur river, near the forest. Navy ships scoured coastal areas and sought to clear river channels clogged with sunken vessels. Red Crescent officials said some 1,000 fishermen and about 150 boats were still unaccounted for in the Bay of Bengal. Aid officials said damage from the storm was very severe. In many areas, 95 percent of rice crops due to be harvested in a few weeks had been badly damaged, officials said. Hundreds of shrimp farms had been washed away. The government Sunday said that the electricity supply throughout the country would return to normal by Nov 30, an official said Sunday. Sidr's onslaught cut off communications and electricity supplies across the country. The national grid tripped twice at 7.57 am and 5.30 pm Friday after the cyclone struck the country. The government formed a seven-member committee headed by former Bangladesh Power Development Board chairman and former managing director of Power Grid Company of Bangladesh ANM Rizwan to investigate the cause of the collapse of the national grid twice on Nov 16. Food and disaster management adviser Tapan Chowdhury described the cyclone as a "national calamity" and urged all to come forward to help the victims. DAMAGE REPORT About 33 lakh people of 9.12 lakh families in 968 unions of 133 upazilas had been affected by the storm and tidal surges, the food and disaster management ministry said in a report Monday. Standing crops on over 30,000 acres were totally damaged, while 8.5 lakh acres of farmland suffered partial damage. Some three lakh houses were completely ruined and over six lakh houses suffered heavy damage, the report said. Over 2.5 lakh heads of cattle and poultry birds were killed in the storm. The cyclone destroyed 740 educational institutions totally and damaged another 253 partially. Roads stretching 58 kilometres were ruined and about 88,000km suffered partial damage. Embankments measuring about 57 kilometres were breached. Besides, the super cyclone uprooted over 3.5 lakh trees, the report said. Cyclone Sidr packed maximum sustained wind speeds of up to 135 knots (155 mph or 250 km/h), just before striking land according to a forecast of the US Navy's Joint Typhoon Warning Centre in Pearl Harbour, Hawaii