US embassy cable - 05DHAKA1409

C O N F I D E N T I A L DHAKA 001409 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/24/2015 
TAGS: ECON, EAID, BG, BGD Floods 
SUBJECT: PRE-MONSOON STORMS HIT BANGLADESH HARD 
 
 
Classified By: Econ Chief David Renz; reason 1.4 b 
 
1. (U) SUMMARY: On March 20, a tornado and hailstorm razed 
villages, crops, trees and electricity poles in Gaibandha and 
Rangpur in north Bangladesh.  On March 22 and 23 a heavy 
windstorm hit several villages in Dhaka Division, again 
destroying crops and homes.  At last count, 48 people were 
killed in the first storm and 16 were killed in the second. 
According to the Ministry of Food and Disaster Management, 
1,630 people were injured in the tornado and 7,700 houses 
were destroyed.  A reported 82,000 people in Gaibhanda alone 
were adversely affected.  END SUMMARY. 
 
2.  (U) The initial rescue and relief endeavors have been a 
collection of government and non-government efforts.  Downed 
power lines have complicated matters.  Just after the first 
tornado, Deputy Minister for Food and Disaster Management, 
Asadul Habib Dulu paid a visit to the affected areas and 
authorized aid in varying amounts, to include money and 
corrugated tin.  Shards of corrugated tin, a common local 
building material, were one cause of serious injuries in this 
storm.  Tarique Rahman, son of Prime Minister Begum Khaleda 
Zia and Senior Joint Secretary General of BNP, currently 
engaged in a "listening tour" throughout the country, visited 
one of the villages hit in Gaibandha and distributed rice and 
money to affected families. 
 
3.  (C) Sources told Senior Pol FSN that Minister of Food and 
Disaster Management Chowdhury Kamal Ibne Yusef is frustrated 
at the paucity of aid that he is able to marshal.  Privately, 
the Minister expressed the wish that international aid 
agencies would come to Bangladesh's assistance without the 
BDG having to ask.  Publicly, however, officials on the 
ground say international aid is not needed, according to 
international NGOs operating in the area, although officials 
have not prevented these NGOs from providing assistance. 
Yusef allowed to Senior Pol FSN that in a localized disaster 
like this tornado, the BDG should be able to mount an 
adequate response.  However, as the devastation was so 
complete in the affected areas, he felt his network was 
overwhelmed and that victims were suffering due to the lack 
of shelter and services.  According to the Minister, the few 
NGOs that are present in the area now are "sound and fury, 
signifying nothing." 
 
4.  (U) A USAID-sponsored project located in Gaibandha, was 
among the groups providing spot relief to tornado victims 
immediately after the storm.  USAID has sent an evaluation 
team to the site of the storm to collect information. 
Injuries from the first tornado overwhelmed local hospitals 
and available medical services are generally poor.  Rail 
service between two of the affected villages has been 
rendered gratis for all tornado victims, to facilitate 
movement. 
 
5.  (SBU) COMMENT: As we saw with last year's floods, the BDG 
is particularly reluctant to seek international assistance in 
dealing with the natural disasters that periodically plague 
the country, fearing that such assistance will reinforce 
negative international perceptions about the country and the 
BDG's ability to manage these recurring challenges.  The 
one-two punch of recent water shortages and foul weather, 
however, are stressing Bangladesh's short-term food 
resources. Further shocks could yet force the BDG to seek 
assistance.  END COMMENT. 
THOMAS