|
Wed, 26 Dec 2007
Village Horror
By UWT Representative, Yusuf Patel, South Bangladesh
After travelling 5 KM in a speed boat across river Bishkal from
Boroytala, we arrive at the isolated village South Tetul Baria.
The area is in a total mess and the village has been ransacked.
The colour of the trees has turned pale and their barks have
been stripped off. Four of the five mosques have been destroyed
and all the water ponds have been infected. More than 300 homes
were destroyed and up to 30 people were martyred. Until our
arrival, no aid had yet reached the village and nor were they
pre-warned about the cyclone.
The village has no flood shelter and many took refuge by hanging
on to tree branches. Nargis, a local woman described how the
water sped through the village, gushing in and out up to 20 feet
high and destroying everything. She hung unto her child and took
refuge in a tree. Not everyone was able to do the same. She saw
a woman trying desperately to cling unto her child but the force
of the waves overtook her child and swept them away. Will the
mother ever rejoice again?
The story of Helinah Begum brought tears to our eyes and rattled
our hearts. Most of all, her patience and gratitude of the
Almighty was a sign of unity, cooperation and pain sharing
within the village. Everyone had lost their loved ones or had
been affected in one way or another. Helinah describes the
moment when the tidal wave forced the roof of her shed-house
unto her eight year old child who died in front of her eyes.
Subsequently, her forehead was injured and she showed us the
injury sustained by her hand when trying to uphold the roof. She
tried her utmost best to protect and save her child but was
unable to do so. Will she ever rejoice again?
Everyone had a story to tell. Some would describe the number of
people dead in their family or the velocity and ferocity of the
wave. Others showed us the location of the mass graves whilst
some cried in tears for being unable to locate corpses. There
were those who tried to take refuge in boats and ships but were
thrown overboard and drowned.
The village is ruined. There remain broken homes, infected
lakes, uprooted trees, mass graves, razed mosques, wrecked
boats, traumatized people and broken hearts. The village was
silent in horror as people continued to remember the tragedy.
Ummah Welfare Trust in conjunction with Muslim Welfare Institute
intends to initiate long term reconstruction, sanitation,
forestation, and income generating projects to relieve the
suffering of these innocent humble kind people.
This is what we saw a month after the disaster. We cannot
imagine how the scene would have been on the day. Colleagues
Shaykh Ilyas and Shaykh Shafiqurrahman of the MWI discuss how
the Ummah is reminded again and again of the power of the
Almighty and it is for every individual to reflect upon his life
and rectify it accordingly.
Helinah |
Helinah's Scarred Hand |
Download High Quality Print Image
Helinah
Helinah's Scarred Hand |
