What a disaster! I didn't even get to experience the cyclone!... get it, disaster? Anyways, I shouldn't make fun because it destroyed much of the southwest of this country. So far the Daily Star is confirming 121 deaths, though there are probably many more that are unreported. However the real damage from the cyclone will affect thousands of people and probably lead to hundreds of deaths in the next few months. Water quality, crops, fisheries, livestock and homes were all wiped off the loose silt floor of the Bengal delta.
The flood is bringing in salt water that can permanently ruin land and in the short term overtakes the potable ground water that most people depend on. According to one statistic, over 58 THOUSAND livestock have been killed... I had to read that again to be sure. It's hard to imagine a more unprepared people in a more vulnerable land. If you want to read more you can go here.
I talked to my Dad today and he told me that he heard a report saying Dhaka got drenched. This is not true, after the first night, there really has been no irregular weather. Even the "storm" paled in comparison to some of the ones I've experienced already. A little lightning, some wind, some rain, but no eye-widening, biblical weather. Only a few locusts.
It's very hard to justify the feeling of disappointment I've had regarding this cyclone. When abroad the hope is that you have the opportunity to experience all you can, whether it's a sunny day that gives you a famed mountain view or a cataclysmic cyclone. Well, that's how I feel about it anyways. On the quite obviously throbbing other hand, you just can't root for people to die. This cyclone is a very, very terrible thing, but I can't help wishing I got to see it.
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