Flood victims now desperate for a roof over their head

Amena Akter, a resident of Uttar Kautli village in Parashuram upazila, Feni, lost her husband six years ago and had been living in a tin house with her two sons by the roadside.

Her house was destroyed by recent floods, which swept away all her valuables.

"I couldn't save anything but our lives from the rushing floodwaters," Amena told TBS.

"On the night of 21 August, the water rose within 2-3 hours, reaching the bed. The current was so strong that half of the house was washed away."

She sought refuge on the second floor of a nearby madrasa with her two children.

Although the water has receded, her hardships persist.

"Now, I'm staying in what's left of the house, but I get wet when it rains. It's hard to even find a place to sleep," Amena said.

With no safe home, she had to send her two sons to an orphanage.

"We have received dry food once or twice as relief, but no one has helped us with shelter. We don't need food – we need a roof over our heads," she said, appealing to the government for help.

The recent devastating floods that swept through the northeastern and southeastern districts of the country hit lower and lower-middle-class families in Feni the hardest.

Villages near the broken embankments along the Muhuri River were particularly ravaged.

During a visit to about 10 villages in Parshuram, Phulghazi, Daganbhuiyan, and Chhagalnaiya upazilas, this reporter observed that although floodwaters have receded from most areas, the damage remains severe.

Water had risen to the roofs of many houses, and some were completely washed away.

Displaced residents sought refuge in nearby multi-storied buildings, schools, mosques, madrasas, and other institutions. Thousands were even forced to take shelter on bridges.

During the flood, the Muhuri River dam in the border village of Nijkalikapur broke, flooding the area and overturning houses and trees. Hundreds of acres of crops were destroyed.

Parshuram upazila, particularly Mirzanagar-1 and Chitalia-3 unions, was among the worst affected in Feni.

Nurjahan Begum (50), a resident of Ward No-9 in Parshuram, told TBS, "We took shelter in a madrasa and had to survive on dry food for the first week. The floodwaters were so high that rescuers couldn't reach us, and we were forced to drink polluted floodwater."

Although she and her family have returned home, she said their house is now almost uninhabitable due to the extensive damage from the flood.

"The floor of the house is covered in mud, the cooking stove is unusable, most of our carpets and rugs were washed away, and what little remains is ruined," she said.

She added that they have yet to receive any assistance from the government.

Around 100 families are still taking shelter in a four-storey school building in Matubhuiyan Bazar, Daganbhuiyan upazila. Although the floodwaters have receded from their homes, the houses remain uninhabitable.

Moin Ahmed, a resident of the shelter, told TBS, "The soil floor of my house has been washed away, and the wood and tin structure has been twisted."

"I work on repairing my house during the day and return to the shelter at night. An organisation named the Coast Foundation is providing us with three meals a day," he added.

In the Motbi union of Feni Sadar upazila, around 100 families of the local fishermen community were affected by the flood, with all their houses damaged. Despite the water receding, many have been unable to repair their homes.

Manti Rani, who lost her home in the flood, said, "I am left helpless with my four daughters and couldn't save anything from my house."

"If the government or any organisation does not assist in rebuilding my house, I will be left to endure the sun and rain," she added.

Kamala Rani Das, another resident of this area said that she had 42 chickens, seven ducks which were all washed away.

"We took shelter in a school and were forced to move out but still couldn't fix our house," she said.

Last month, floods claimed at least 71 lives across 11 districts in the country, including Feni. In the 68 upazilas affected, around 600,000 families were trapped by the waters. Feni district was hit hardest, with 29 fatalities reported there.

Afruza Habib Shapla, UNO of Parshuram Upazila, told TBS, "Almost all the houses in our two unions have collapsed. The most severely affected homes are in remote areas near the Muhuri River and damaged dams."

"Relief efforts have been limited in these areas. We are now focusing on providing financial assistance to the most affected families, and various NGOs are also extending their support," she added.

Musammat Shahina Akter, deputy commissioner and district magistrate of Feni, said, "Over 64,000 houses have either partially or completely collapsed in Feni. While various NGOs are providing food assistance, support for shelters has been minimal."

She added, "We are preparing a list of affected upazilas and arranging government-supported shelters accordingly."

In addition to government initiatives, some NGOs are actively supporting flood victims in affected areas.

COAST Foundation first started the 'hot meal with community kitchen' programme in several areas with their own fund. Now, 'Start Fund Bangladesh' has joined with them.

Over the past seven days, they have distributed cooked food to 1,800 people across eight shelters.

COAST Foundation Executive Director M Rezaul Karim Chowdhury said, "The most crucial task now is to rehabilitate the affected individuals. We are planning aid for the most vulnerable areas, including food support, cash for home repairs, and long-term cash-for-work programs."

Shofiul Alam, Program Coordinator, Start Network Bangladesh told TBS, "We are running a program to provide support for 45 days to the affected families in 7 flood affected districts including Feni and Noakhali. We are supporting them through various NGOs including COAST Foundation to give people food, cash, wash facility. We will provide community support once this program is completed. Such as road repair, repair of government hospitals, etc."

Start Fund Bangladesh with generous contributions from the UK in Bangladesh, the Dutch government & the Jersey Overseas Aid has disbursed £511,310 to support 40,000 people affected by the flooding in Feni, Noakhali, Comilla, Laxmipur, Chattogram, Khagracchari, and Moulvibazar district of Bangladesh.