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Salema Khatun has used a cyclone shelter
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Photo: Shafiqul Alam/Oxfam
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"We live
very close to a cyclone shelter. We use it once or twice a year
when we hear the grave danger signal. Last November was the last
time. We have a transistor radio so I can always listen to what
is happening with the weather patterns. Warnings of cyclones are
pretty regular, but it is not clear where they are going to strike
until much later.
One day last
November there was a chilly wind. It gradually grew stronger. We
heard the warning on the radio that those living in low-lying areas
should go to safe places. There were also people moving from village
to village with megaphones telling people what to do to get prepared.
I buried our
valuable belongings in a big pot which I covered in polythene, I
also buried a pot of clean drinking water. Something which is buried
can’t be destroyed by high winds and water. I tied down my
bed in the house and wrapped our quilt and blanket in polythene.
I also tied up all our animals and secured the house by tying it
to strong poles in the ground. Then I packed some dried food and
we all went to the cyclone shelter. We couldn’t take much with
us, as it gets very crowded.
The wind grew
very wild and hammered on the shutters. We couldn't see anything
outside, but heard the howling storm. As we sat and waited, we talked
about what was happening. We worried about our relatives and about
what would be happening to our houses. Would we come home to find
that our houses had been blown away? What would we have left?
By the time
the sun rose, the wind had died down. We were lucky this time because
the cyclone had not hit our area directly. We nervously came down
the stairs of the shelter and began to hurry home. Our roof had
been blown off and several of our trees had been uprooted and destroyed.
Luckily our animals had all survived.
People really
help each other during these times. We share information and if
people are old or sick, or if they have small children, we help
them get their houses ready and take them to the shelters."
Lesson plan: Exploring a cyclone shelter
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