Cyclone Sidr - Disaster Area - Day 2: Life at Basecamp and the Beginning of Donations

Overwhelmed and burnt out - that’s all I can say about this. Everywhere I look I see destroyed homes and destroyed lives.

I interview a girl today - she lost her mom to the storm. She spoke of it like I was asking her for her mailing address - no emotion. I spoke to a father today. He told me how he tried to clutch his little child to his chest during the floods that came with the cyclone - but his grip slipped. He doesn’t even have a body to bury - he lost her. Just like the girl without a mom, this father who lost a child had no tears. Just shock. No emotion. I don’t need to be told what that feels like - I’m feeling that now.

I also feel helpless. I gave 30 blankets in an aid mission today. 30 wasn’t enough. We had come to a small spot along a river and pulled up. There were more people than blankets to give away - when we tried to leave, people stormed the boat and jumped onto it. 30 blankets is not enough for an aid mission of course. We had given tons of food, rice, and water along with it (supplied by Muslim Aid and Global Medic). But, no matter how much we have - it’s never enough. Never.
I have a lot of footage and photos today - but Rahul (the guy you don’t mess with) ordered lights out in 5 minutes. Gotta run. Gotta rest

See here for all the NowPublic coverage of Cyclone Sidr

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