The good news: the city of Dhaka seems to have completely recovered from the effects of Cyclone Sidr. The bad news: the lives of many Dhaka residents will never be the same as many go out to search for lost loved ones.
On the day the storm hit, a car I was in got covered in glowing sparks from a transformer that had exploded next to it. That weekend, during daylight, I went to take a photo of the damage – but there was none. Where once was an exploded transformer now apparently had a newly repaired and replaced transformer. A giant tree had collapsed near Mohakhali DOHS that very night. By the time I heard of it, it was already taken care of and the road was cleared. A cook that works for my aunt explained how the roof of her bosti (slum house) had been ripped off. When my aunt asked if I could go document the damage – the cook explained they had already repaired it.
Unfortunately, things aren’t back to normal – and they may never be. Many Dhaka residents, especially the working poor, are now wondering whether their loved ones are lost or dead. Many who can afford it have taken time off to go to the cyclone affected areas to search for loved ones. My grandmother, a lady in her late 80s who hired someone so that she can go from place to place, has been home-bound these past few days. Her driver cannot get in touch with his mother – he doesn’t know if she’s alive or dead. He taken a three day leave to go search for her. His story is not uncommon. A friend of mine – Shaidul, a government employee, recently took leave to go to Barishal to search for his lost loved ones.
People like my grandmother’s driver and Shaidul go not knowing whether they are going to be reunited with family members or are going to bury them. As a I wrote before, this is a tragedy that is – in some, way, shape, or form – touching the lives of every resident in this country.
[A slightly more "news-ish" version of this blog post has been cross-posted at NowPublic.com as a news item. Check it out here.]
