A decade of Cyclone SIDR observed in Barisal with Heavy heart

Bangladesh Model Youth Parliament and YouthNet for Climate Justce have observed one decade of super cyclone SIDR with Barisal Reporters Unity marked the memory of horrific incidence with the heavy heart. A discussion meeting was presided over by Barisal Reporters Unity president Nazrul Biswas while among others AH Towfique Ahmed, Zonal Head, UNICEF Barisal Field Office, Sohanur Rahman, Coordinator, YouthNet for Climate Justice, Journalist Susanta Gosh, Bappy Majumdar, Feroz Mostofa, Chairperson, Bangladesh Model Youth Parliament spoke the meeting.

On 15 November 2007, Cyclone Sidr struck the south-west coast of Bangladesh with winds up to 240 kilometers per hour. The category 4 storm was accompanied by tidal waves up to five meters high and surges up to 6 meters in some areas, breaching coastal and river embankments, flooding low-lying areas and causing extensive physical destruction. High winds and floods also caused damage to housing, roads, bridges, and other infrastructure. Electricity and communication were knocked out, and roads and waterways became impassable. Drinking water was contaminated by debris and many sources were inundated with saline water from tidal surges, and sanitation infrastructure was destroyed.

The cyclone was the second natural disaster to affect Bangladesh in twelve months. Monsoon floods had previously caused extensive agricultural production losses and destruction of physical assets, totaling near US$ 1.1 billion. The occurrence of these events in close succession is a reminder of the country's extreme vulnerability to frequent hydro-meteorological hazards, which stand to be further exacerbated because of climate change.