Bangladeshi raise aid for cyclone repairs

Members of the Queens Bangladeshi community are continuing to raise funds for their homeland following last month’s devastating cyclone.
On Saturday, December 15, a 15-hour event in Long Island City raised about $40,000 for relief efforts, said one of the event’s organizers Giash Ahmed, President of the American Bangladesh Chamber of Commerce.
With the funds, local organizers hope the country’s government will build permanent housing and a shelter, which would double as a school, to protect Bangladeshis from natural disasters. In addition, New York Bangladeshi community members hope to secure more than $1 million from several organizations in the coming weeks.
“Every year, almost, there is something going on, like a flood,” Ahmed said, adding, “When the cyclone or flood comes, they can settle there [at a shelter] for one day, two days, or a month.”
In November, Cyclone Sidr struck the southwestern section of the country, leaving more than 4,500 dead and displacing millions. The Bangladesh Red Crescent Society has warned that the number of the dead and missing could ultimately reach 10,000. Officials estimate that the twister recorded wind speeds of 150 mph in rural areas and 90 mph in parts of the capital city Dhaka.
Three months earlier, severe flooding killed more than 1,000 in Bangladesh.
Jackson Heights resident Ahmed, who was born in Dhaka and moved to the United States 1985, said that several of his friends were killed and the properties of most of his former neighbors were wrecked.
Aide organizations are struggling to restore Bangladesh’s infrastructure, develop a clean water supply, build sanitation facilities and construct permanent housing. The group World Vision has appealed for $2 billion in aide for food and shelter for those affected.
Federal officials recently passed a bill expressing condolences for the victims of the cyclone and calling on President George Bush to send funds to the country.
“Mother Nature inflicted great damage and caused tremendous loss of life in Bangladesh on November 15,” said Congressmember Joseph Crowley in a statement. Crowley was one of 388 members of the House of Representatives who voted for the resolution on Wednesday, December 12. “Today, the US House of Representatives reaffirmed our nation’s commitment to helping the Bangladeshi people recover from Cyclone Sidr. I strongly supported this effort, and I will continue working to make sure we help Bangladesh recover.”
When asked whether he believes his adopted country should send more money for Bangladeshi relief efforts, Ahmed said, “America should send more money to those who are affected … even though we are in another country.”
Ahmed also beseeched fellow Bangladeshi to contribute.
“We as Bangladeshi have a responsibility to help,” he said.