Editorial
Trail of death and devastation
Relief and rehabilitation must be provided in full swing
We are shocked at the magnitude of death and devastation caused by hurricane Sidr over a large stretch of the country. It struck with full fury on Thursday night in 16 coastal districts generating tidal waves as high as twenty feet and strong winds that reached over 200km in speed. We have to wait for the full investigation to know the extent of damage in terms of life and property but an initial estimate says over 400 lives have been lost with thousands reportedly missing. The hurricane has also uprooted thousands of trees, homes and power lines to add to the misery of the people and the administration. We are, however, relieved that it has finally crossed Bangladesh.
It is being felt that timely action taken by the government through constantly monitoring satellite images, issuing warning over mass media, showing danger signal -10 and undertaking immediate evacuation of people living in the coastal belts might have helped in reducing death toll to a great extent. Maybe for the first time in many years we have witnessed a timely and better coordination among civilian administration, military administration, media and the people on the ground to synchronise the entire preventive effort. The nation is now looking towards the government for taking well-coordinated relief and rehabilitation works without losing a moment. There will be thousands of injured people crying for help in the water-swept landscape and prompt action might save some valuable lives. Food, water and shelter are most needed at the moment for the affected people and we are sure the whole nation will now stand beside the needy.
We also believe there will be lessons to learn from the aftermath of a hurricane as powerful as Sidr, just as Sri Lanka and Thailand had learned their lessons after the Tsunami in 2005. We have to further upgrade our meteorological office equipment; the local and national warning system has to be made more effective and the number of cyclone shelters has to be increased. One report said that in the Sundarban area where there was a thick growth of trees on the edge of waters the damage was comparatively minimal. Therefore, we believe plantation and preservation of trees should be taken into consideration on the basis of research findings.
The unwelcome visit of hurricane Sidr has also reminded us of what we may apprehend with the global warming issue not getting as much attention. It is perhaps time to think how we shall face more of such calamities in the future. A national consensus on the issue of saving the land from man-made atrocities and vagaries of nature is the need of the hour.
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