In November 2007 Cyclone Sidr ripped across the vulnerable low lying, densely populated, coastal areas of Bangladesh, the eye of Cyclone Sidr – visible in satellite images as a colossal swirling white mass bearing north from the Bay of Bengal – hit land in an impoverished coastal area near Bangladesh’s border with India.

Officials described Cyclone Sidr as the worst storm in more than 15 years. The scale of the devastation caused by Cyclone Sidr in Bangladesh has been paralleled to that seen in the aftermath of the 2004 tsunami. Unfortunately, funds for rehabilitation work following the most recent Asian disaster are insufficient for the scale of the crisis.

Tropical Cyclone Sidr hit 30 districts in southern Bangladesh with winds of up to 155 miles per hour killing thousands and destroying over 1.2 million homes. Over 650,000 people were evacuated. In the worst affected districts, 90% of homes and 95% of rice crops were obliterated by the winds. Overall the number of people estimated to have been affected is 8 million. Official reports state 3,447 deaths however Nabiha Chowdhury, spokeswoman for the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, states that the death toll is probably near a staggering 15,000. 

The damage in Bangladesh was extensive; those that lived to tell the tale are still in grave need of assistance after surviving the worst cyclone of the past decade

Dr Wali Tasar Uddin MBE, DLitt, JP, Hon Consul General of Bangladesh.
 
Dr Wali Tasar Uddin MBE, DLitt, JP, Hon Consul General of Bangladesh in Scotland will be spent the last 2 weeks of February in Bangladesh, on governmental, cultural and charitable business. He visited areas affected by the devastating Cyclone Sidr – accompanied by Farah Kabir of Action Aid Group – to gather information about relief work and interviewing victims in advance of a major fundraising event in Edinburgh on the 4th of May 2008.

The aims of the visit include developing a proposed twinning arrangement between the City of Edinburgh and Sylhet. Furthermore, investigation into possible partnership links with Edinburgh's Napier University and Heriot Watt University – both of which recently awarded Dr Uddin Honorary degrees – and the Universities and Colleges of Bangladesh, in particular investigation into the potential for training and educational initiatives for individuals especially from ICT, Business Managements, Textiles & Apparels, Hospitality and Nursing Training. In addition, to find a village on his visit to the Barguna District, which, will become the centre of the campaign in Scotland – a fundraising dinner in aid of the Cyclone Sidr appeal will be held in Edinburgh, Scotland on 4th of May at the prestigious Royal Highland, aiming to raise £100,000, with the aim of rebuilding a whole village (70 houses). 

The fundraising event will be taking place on the: 4th of April at the MacRobert Pavillion in Edinburgh.