It has been two and a half weeks since Cyclone Sidr hit the South West Coast of Bangladesh and thousands of people are still short of food and living without any form of shelter. There are many survivors who have not yet received any aid, particularly elderly or single women and there has been extensive damage to agricultural land, with many livestock not surviving the cyclone. The lack of infrastructure and the damaged resources of an already poor community living in a drought-prone area, mean the situation is going to take a long time to stabilize, painting a bleak future for many of the affected communities. The property loss alone caused by Cyclone Sidr is so far estimated at £460 million and economists have said the country will lag behind for years due to this natural disaster. Many people are sleeping out in the open at night with nothing but a sari to cover them. It is very damp and cold at night so pneumonia is a concern, as well as the spread of typhoid, cholera and diarrhoea due to stagnant water. Access to safe drinking water is another issue as many of the traditional drinking ponds and wells have been polluted by salty sea water and contaminated by the carcasses of animals, poultry and people.

ActionAid staff have been working on the ground with local partners to distribute aid and also to document some of the experiences of the affected communities:

Jahanara Begum, 30, married with two children, lost her husband and one daughter in the cyclone, she has one surviving daughter Shakila, aged two. She is from Banda village, South Khali Union, Shoronkhola Thana, Bagerhat district. In one night she lost her husband, four-year-old daughter and her home. "They were just swept away by the water. I found the bodies of my husband two days later and my daughter three days later." Jahanara said she was staying with her brother-in-law in their yard but was uncertain about her future. "My husband used to have a grocery store but I don't know what I'll do now."

Amena Khatun, 60, married with five grown up children, from Raienda village, Bagerhat district, isn't sure how she's still alive. When the cyclone struck a pillar fell across her body trapping her for more than eight hours. She was only freed the following morning by her 75-year-old relative Hamid Kaji as her husband was away "When relief help came through", she told ActionAid staff, 'Why are you giving us food? Why don't you just kill us? We have nothing left.'

Abul Kalam, 48, a fisherman, from Bakultala village, Bagerhat district, had been out fishing when the cyclone struck. He'd been with a crew of eight but they'd lost their nets and utensils as the storm hit with such force. He said they managed to repair the boat with mud and had managed to sail home up the river. Asked about his future, Kalam looked despairingly and replied "I am already in debt to my landlord to the tune of 50,000 taka - it was the money I borrowed to pay for my boat and nets. I am currently earning 100 taka a day, removing trees from the road, and will buy us some food."

ActionAid, along with local partners, is managing to get aid to thousands of people whose lives have been severely affected by the cyclone. Abdul Gani Hawladar, 75, farmer and basket weaver, married with seven children, from Bakultala village, has received relief parcels from ActionAid and its local partner Jagrata Jubo Shangha, this aid has been vital for the survival of him and his family. The emergency relief packs that ActionAid is distributing include food, warm clothes, cooking vessels, utensils and medical supplies.