Cornwall-based charity helps flood-hit country

Just a year ago, eastern Bangladesh was hit by some of the worst monsoon floods in decades, leaving entire communities submerged under water. Woody Eastwood, from Cornwall-based international disaster relief charity ShelterBox, explains how rebuilding homes to protect people from future flooding is rebuilding hope too

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WHEN flood waters ripped through rural communities in Bangladesh in August 2024, more than half a million people were forced to leave their homes.

While some homes withstood the rush of surging waters that breached embankments and saturated the land, others were badly damaged or swept away.

Families faced the loss of their homes but also the uncertainty of how to begin again. They had to find shelter wherever they could - staying with relatives, in schools, hospitals, or makeshift camps. For many living in low-lying areas homes, they knew they would need to rebuild from scratch using salvaged or costly new materials.

Families like Saleha and Mohiuddin were among those hardest hit. Their homes were completely waterlogged and at risk of collapse. "I had to go to local markets, leaving my children at home. But the plinth is not so good now. I fear that they will have an accident or injury due to this eroded plinth and water in the yard," Saleha said.

Mohiuddin added: "I don’t know how I could repair my house. I've lost everything."