A cyclone hit Bangladesh on Thursday leaving many killed, homeless and affected. I will here copy a report from Islamic relief and i ask everyone who can to donate to help the victims of Bangladesh. Islamic relief is a great organisation offering help to Muslims in need but they need £3 million as they have estimated the needs of Bangladesh victims, but so far they have £500,000 for the first emergency needs. Please see if ur country can donate to them and if it can then please do. If everyone who can gives something then together it will be very much Inshallah. You too will benefit from it. Also pray for the victims no matter in what way they were affected.

Here is the report:

Cyclone Sidr blasted Bangladesh on Thursday 15 November 2007, affecting millions of people and devastating huge areas of the coast.

More than 1,000 people are thought to have died, but numbers are rising fast as the full effects of the cyclone become clear.

“This was a category four cyclone and it has caused a lot of destruction,” said Samina Haq, Emergency Desk Officer at IR Headquarters. “The death toll is rising and as always, it is hard to give a precise figure in the immediate aftermath.”

The coastal districts of Khulna and Barisal are the worst-affected areas, with nearly 1 million people being evacuated from their homes.

Vicious 250kph winds devastated homes and uprooted trees and power poles. Communication lines are down, with some mobile networks working sporadically. This had made it difficult for aid agencies to ascertain damage and carry out relief operations in remote areas.

Tidal Surge
A 15ft (5m) tidal surge has devastated three coastal towns that are home to around 700,000 people. Communication is completely down in these areas and authorities are yet to hear information about casualties.

The surge has washed away hundreds of homes, destroyed crops and killed livestock.

Despite cyclone warning alerts, over 100 fishing boats did not return to shore after the cyclone hit. The UN estimates 1,000 fishermen to be missing.

Nowhere to Shelter
Around 10 million people live on Bangladesh’s coast, but there are only enough storm shelters for around half a million people.

Many people are sheltering in concrete buildings, such as schools or mosques.

Cyclone after the Monsoon
Cyclone Sidr is hitting Bangladesh only months after half the country was submerged under floodwaters.

Thousands of people in cyclone-affected areas were just beginning to pick up their lives after the floods. They now face a new challenge of coping with this disaster too.

There is an urgent need for food, clean water, shelter and medicine.

Islamic Relief response
Islamic Relief (IR) has allocated £500,000 for the initial emergency response which will include distributions of shelter items, food, clean water and hygiene kits in cyclone-affected areas.

The initial response will also include health services to provide medical care and treat injuries, and hygiene promotion sessions to minimise the spread of disease.

IR has worked in Bangladesh since 1994 and IR staff and volunteers have already played a part in evacuating people to safety in cyclone shelters.

IR has launched an urgent appeal for £3 million to help families affected by the disaster.

http://www.islamic-relief.com/submenu/Appeal/ban-cyclone-appeal.asp