When a Cyclone Strikes … (Update: Reports from the Ground)
For the villagers of Sunderbans devastated by Cyclone Aila, the long road to recovery has just started. The flood water has receded and most villagers have gone back to their homes, or what remains of their homes. The flood has destroyed many of their huts and carried away most of their precious belongings. Many people do not even have clothes to wear, apart from what they were wearing when they fled to escape the gushing flood waters. The saline water has infiltrated ponds and cultivation fields, and thus robbing many people of their main source of livelihood. There is still an acute shortage of drinking water and food in many areas.