Seventy-five-year-old Nur Jahan went to take refuge at the Baharchhara Government Primary School shelter in Cox's Bazar Sadar after hearing the news of Cyclone Mocha approaching Bangladesh coast.
Her eldest son died while fishing six years ago, and her husband was swept away in the 1991 cyclone. Since then, she has lived alone in Samitipara, Kutubdiapara, 1 No Ward. Someone brought her to the shelter on Saturday when strong winds were blowing in the area.
She told Dhaka Tribune that now she hears less and her eyes are infected, but she can remember the terrible havoc in the coastal area in 1991.
“I almost died in 1991 due to lack of food. I don't want to bear the pain of hunger again after such a cyclone,” she said.
Almas Khatun Dhaka TribuneAlmas Khatun came to the shelter with her two sons, daughters-in-law, and grandchildren immediately after the emergency signal was issued due to Cyclone Mocha. She also lives in Samitipara, Cox's Bazar. Her house is next to the sea.
She said: “I'm afraid of cyclones. Seeing the wind yesterday reminded me of 1991. 32 years ago, with four children, I took shelter like this after seeing the signs of the cyclone. My husband and his uncle did not agree to come to the shelter centre, leaving their house, cows, and goats. My husband said he will come if the situation worsens. But in the middle of the night, the cyclone took him away. His body was not found. There was only sand where our house used to be.
“I raised my children in poverty. I don't want to lose them now. I left everything at home and moved here, bringing only clothes,” she added.
Almas Khatun said when she heard the signal, she came straight to the shelter regardless of whether anyone else had left their houses or not. After ‘91, she knows how bad a cyclone can be.
After visiting the Baharchhara Government Primary School Shelter, people of different ages, including men and women, were seen taking shelter in different rooms of the school building.
A total of 273 people took shelter in Baharchhara Government Primary School in the last two days.
Forty-five-year-old Jhunu Begum along with her four children took shelter at the shelter yesterday morning. Her husband did not come with her. He is an auto-rickshaw driver.
Jhunu Bagum (45) with her children Dhaka TribuneShe said: “When everyone in the area was saying that everyone should go to the shelter, my husband stayed at home. My husband could not leave our house behind. In 1991 I was very young. I saw how my three brothers and sisters were washed away. We found the body of one of them. I still remember the screams of my siblings. My father could not save them. I still haven't recovered from that trauma,” she said.
Cyclone Preparedness Program (CPP) team leader Abdur Rahman said people were fearing that they would witness a situation like 1991.
“People came to the shelter with what they had at hand. Some came with only the clothes they were wearing,” he added.
People who have taken shelter at the center have brought their pets with them. A horse and a goat are tethered to the center's porch.
Pregnant mothers at the center
Eight pregnant women had taken shelter at the school. Three are first-time mothers, and their ages range from 17 to 19 years.
Seventeen-year-old Sadia Akhtar is now 8 months pregnant and is going to be a mother for the first time. She lived alone with her husband in Samiti Para. Her in-law lives in another area. Her husband did not want to take any risk while she was pregnant, so he left her at the shelter.
Twenty-two-year-old Selina is staying at the same shelter with her eight-year-old daughter. She is now four months pregnant.
Dhaka TribuneHer husband and none of her husband's family are with her now. They left her here earlier to avoid risk. She said that all his family will take shelter in the center tonight.
At the centre, there are eight volunteers at the center. Of them, four are women.
“They are ready to take care of the immediate needs of these pregnant women,” said Cyclone Preparedness Programme (CPP) volunteer Halima Akhter.
