AmeriCares first shipment of emergency medicines arrived in Dhaka on Thanksgiving Day and is on its way to Barisal, a southern district in Bangladesh devastated by Cyclone Sidr. A second, larger shipment of essential medicines and supplies is also scheduled to arrive in Dhaka, Bangladesh later this week.
In addition to the 40,000 pounds of emergency aid, an AmeriCares relief worker is already on the ground in Bangladesh assessing the damages and working with our partners to bring this much needed aid to the millions affected by the cyclone.
The violent storm made landfall on the coast the morning of November 15 with wind speeds averaging 149 mph. Bangladesh officials report that more than 6.7 million people have been affected and nearly 3,000 are dead. Besides leveling homes, trees and utility poles, the storm wiped out roads and crops and killed livestock. AmeriCares is continuing to assess the damages and will provide more aid as needed.
The capital city of Dhaka is 95%, if not 100%, recovered from the damage caused by the cyclone," says Jonathan Hodgdon, AmeriCares manager of emergency response. "The airport is back to normal and electricity is restored throughout the city. The same cannot be said of the coastal areas." Hodgdon is in Bangladesh and is meeting with our partners on the ground to assess the needs and any further assistance AmeriCares can provide.
In August, AmeriCares responded to the massive flooding caused by destructive monsoons by sending a relief team to assess the damage and delivering water purification sachets to provide clean water for the thousands affected by that crisis.
AmeriCares has been delivering aid to Bangladesh on an ongoing basis since 2002 providing primary care medicines and supplying orphanages.