Source: CARE
Country: Bangladesh
CYCLONE SURVIVORS RETURN HOME
Atlanta, May 22, 1997
-- As people return to their destroyed coastal homes in
Chittagong,Bangladesh, CARE is working with local Bangladeshi
organizations to distribute supplies
to families as they pick up the pieces of their lives. One hundred people
are confirmed dead and 750 fishermen
are reported missing in the Bay of Bengal.
CARE
is distributing to 14,000 families:
- plastic and bamboo materials for temporary shelter
- materials for storing and purifying water
- oral rehydration solution to prevent dehydration
CARE also is looking into helping rebuild permanent housing for some of the 612,000 families whose homes were lost or damaged in the storm. Nearly 2.5 million people were affected by the cyclone whose 200 kph (125 mph) winds battered frightened residents, most of whom reached
cyclone shelters prepared by the government.
The Bangladeshi government has become expert at mitigating the death toll from cylcones after years of repeated storms. The coastal areas of Bangladesh are prone to devastation -- the country's worst storm in 1991 killed at least 138,000 people and left millions homeless.
"The government's quick response and the low tide saved thousands of lives, resulting in mostly property damage," says CARE's Deputy Regional Manager for Asia, David Negus. "Due to a wealth of local expertise in emergency response, CARE works in partnership with local Bangladeshi organizations experienced
in helping their communities quickly and efficiently in times of disaster."
Media representatives, please contact:
In U.S.:
Lisa Swenarski/Erin Burns:
(404) 681-2552, ext. 206/117
AVAILABLE FOR PHONE INTEVIEWS
IN
BANGLADESH:
CARE-Bangladesh office: (880-2) 81-4195
Douglas Steinberg (home): (880-2) 88-4969
Pat Carey (home): (880-2) 88-1053
CARE<br>
151
Ellis Street NE
Atlanta,
GA 30303-2439
1-800-521-CARE,
ext. 999
