Cyclone Remal stands as the most devastating cyclone to strike Bangladesh in recent years.

The humanitarian impact is increasing after it made landfall near the Bangladesh-India border and crossed north-eastern India on 26-28 May.

According to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), as of 29 May, in Bangladesh 16 people died, 807,023 people have been evacuated to 9,424 evacuation centres and almost 3.5 million people have been affected.

In addition, 40,246 houses were completely damaged, and 131,678 others were partially damaged. The rain and high tides damaged some embankments and flooded coastal areas in the Sundarbans. Rain brought by the cyclone, also flooded roads in the capital Dhaka.

The National Disaster Response Coordination Centre under the Disaster Management and Relief Ministry disclosed 175,000 houses were damaged in 19 coastal and adjacent districts.

Around 40,338 houses have been damaged completely while 133,528 houses have been damaged partially in their count.

Many coastal areas were inundated in the tidal surge.

Disaster and Relief State Minister Muhibur Rahman, speaking to newspersons on Monday, a day after Remal hit, leaving its trail of devastation, said 35,483 houses were damaged completely and 114,992 houses were damaged partially.

According to the coordination centre, the highest number of houses have been damaged in Khulna district. As many as 20,762 houses have completely been damaged in this district. Around 10,000 houses have been damaged in Bagerhat district.

The centre's own report put the figure affected by this cyclone higher at 4.6 million.

In India, media reported at least 37 fatalities, most of them in Mizoram State, dozens of missing people, and thousands evacuated. The worst affected states were Mizoram, West Bengal, Assam, and Meghalaya - at least initially.

By the end of the week, Manipur was beginning to emerge as the worst affected state in India, as continuous rainfall brought on by Remal caused the worst flooding in 35 years in the state.

The devastating floods, described as the worst in the 21st century, have caught both residents and the state machinery by surprise, leaving them unprepared to handle the crisis.

Imphal, the capital of Manipur, is among the worst affected, with waist-deep water inundating key areas as of May 30.

The world-famous Imphal Polo Ground, the birthplace of modern polo, Asia's renowned women's markets (Ima markets), the Khuman Lampak Sports Complex-home to several world-class athletes-and the Raj Bhavan are all submerged due to the overflowing waters of the Imphal and Nambul rivers.

Cyclone Remal, bringing relentless heavy downpours and landslides, has turned Imphal into a ghost town. All shops, business establishments, banks, and offices in the city have shut down in response to the severe flooding.

Where the response falls short

Necessity is the mother of invention, and Bangladeshis' resilience in the face of the natural disasters they must necessarily live with, can never be denied. Yet when these startling stories of adaptation and innovation for survival are not backed up by adequate support from elected governments, the people have a right to demand answers. Remal once again exposed how despite marked improvements on several fronts over the course of the last three decades or so, Bangladesh's disaster management and response mechanism continues to fall short in some of the same old ways.

Once again, the people of the coastal areas were left lamenting the lack of strong, reinforced embankments to protect inhabited areas. From Bhola through Koyra to Bagerhat, this was the same.

Remal wreaked havoc across various areas of the coastal district of Bhola under Barishal division, leaving numerous homes destroyed and many families in dire condition, in need of urgent rehabilitation.

The natural disaster has claimed the lives of three more people in Bhola due to incidents including building collapses and snake bites, bringing the local death toll to six.

Moreover, a 5-kilometre embankment in Bhola has collapsed due to the cyclone's tidal surge. A barge used for dumping blocks and geo-bags into the Meghna River to prevent erosion has also sunk.

Even after two days of the cyclone hitting, the weather was still adverse, with intermittent light to moderate rain. Of the three latest deaths, locals said the 40-year-old Faruk was severely injured along with his wife when a large tree fell on their kitchen during the storm in Sadar upazila. Despite being rushed to the hospital, Faruk was declared dead.

Similarly, Abu Saeed, 55, died while working in his garden during the storm, and Abul Kashem, 75, passed away after a tree fell on his house, causing him severe distress.

Despite the official death toll of three reported by the district's relief and rehabilitation officer S.M. Delwar Hossain, locals claimed the number was actually six.

District's Water Development Board Executive Engineer Hasanuzzaman said severe damage to embankments across Bhola Sadar, Daulatkhan, and Borhanuddin upazilas, resulting in around Tk 4 crore in losses.

Efforts to repair the embankments will begin once the tidal pressure falls. Furthermore, a contractor's barge used for anti-erosion work in Elisha Launch Ghat was lost to the storm, and cement bags worth millions were damaged by the surge, he informed.

In total, 7,623 homes were damaged or destroyed, with substantial losses to agricultural land, fisheries, and infrastructure. The agricultural department reported the damage to 23,235 hectares of crops, including vegetables, rice, and other produce.

Relief efforts are underway, with cash and aid distributed to affected families. On Tuesday afternoon, relief was provided to families in the Dhania Cyclone Shelter by Sadar Upazila Executive Officer Sajal Chandra Shill.

Bhola's Deputy Commissioner Arifuzzaman said necessary measures for rehabilitation were being taken. Relief efforts continue with the support of local officials and volunteers, ensuring the affected families receive essential supplies, including rice, salt, oil, lentils and spices.

"Sustainable embankments before relief"

In Bagerhat, thousands continue to live in fear as rising water levels flood Rampal, Mongla, and Morrelganj upazilas. The low embankments overflow during high tides, causing residential areas to flood. During storms and tidal surges, locals in these areas endure unbearable suffering.

The Water Development Board (WDB) has proposed construction of 85km of new embankments in various areas of the district to address their concerns. Among existing embankments, 16km are in a vulnerable condition.

Super cyclones like Sidr, Aila, Amphan, Mora, Bulbul, and Fani have left Bagerhat residents in constant fear. Despite knowing the risks, thousands of people in Sarankhola, Rampal, Morrelganj, and Mongla still live along the riverbanks. In parts of Rampal, Mongla, and Morrelganj, the absence of WDB-constructed embankments leads to immediate flooding whenever the tide rises.

The trauma of losing possessions and relatives has left these residents perpetually anxious about disasters. Following Cyclone Sidr, they demanded durable embankments. However, sustainable embankments have yet to be established. These residents urgently call for durable embankments along the riverbanks.

On the night of November 15, 2007, Sidr's 15-16 feet high tidal surge destroyed the Baleshwar River embankment in Sarankhola, devastating village after village. Children, adults, houses, livestock, fishing nets, and boats were washed away.

The tidal surge affected not only Sarankhola but also washed away 100 km of riverbank embankments in various coastal areas, including Bagerhat. Government records state that Sidr's rampage claimed 709 lives in Sarankhola alone. Unofficial sources suggest a higher death toll.

Several riverbank residents in Bagerhat expressed an unknown fear whenever they see clouds or rising water levels. With no alternative, they build homes on the riverbanks and live with their families. The news of Cyclone Remal has increased their anxiety. They believe sustainable embankments would protect them from tidal surges. They have urged the government to build them promptly.

Abu Raihan Mohammad Al-Biruni, executive engineer of the Bagerhat WDB, informed that there are a total of 338km of embankments in the district. Of these, only 65km of Sarankhola and Morrelganj have been constructed sustainably. Currently, 16km of embankments in Bagerhat Sadar, Morrelganj, and Sarankhola are vulnerable, with 8 km being highly vulnerable.

Repairs are underway for 460 meters of the embankment in the Bagi and Southkhali areas of Sarankhola along the Baleshwar River. Abu Raihan said there are no WDB-constructed embankments in Rampal and Mongla upazilas. Whenever the tide rises, water floods residential areas. Proposals for constructing 185km of embankments have been sent and are under consideration by the relevant ministry.

He also stated that 273km out of the total 338km of embankments were not built sustainably. Their height from sea level has decreased by one metre or more over time. When the tide rises above normal levels, water overflows the embankments.

To ensure safety during disasters, 359 shelters have been prepared to accommodate 266,051 people. Prior to Remal hitting, Tk 550,000 in cash and 643.400 metric tonnes of rice were stockpiled for the people of the district, but among the people, there is a strong feeling that such relief items allow the government to avert its responsibility to provide the sustainable solution of durable embankments.

The ghost of Aila

In Khulna, embankments have been breached at 36 places in Dakop, Paikgasa and Koyra upazilas. The tidal surge has caused saltwater to flood several villages as Bangladesh Water Development Board embankments have been damaged in various polders of Paikgasa upazila.

The morning after the cyclone hit, residents began efforts to repair the embankments and protect the polders. Koyra Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) BM Tarik-Uz-Zaman said that heavy rain has prevented people from leaving their homes, and erosion has been reported in the Dashhalia and Nayani areas. Immediate repairs have been undertaken to prevent the dam from overflowing.

The areas of Pankhali, Tildanga, and Sutarkhali have been hit severely, he added.

Mother Forest - Sundarbans protects

The Sundarbans once again played a crucial role in mitigating the devastating impacts of Cyclone Remal. It shielded the Khulna region from more severe damage by reducing wind speeds, as the cyclone wreaked havoc in the district of Satkhira after making landfall in the coastal areas of Bangladesh and India. Yet experts and officials fear that it may take up to 40 years to recover the losses to its own biodiversity.

More than 100 animal carcasses, including deer, have been recovered in the Sundarbans.

Carcasses of 96 deer and four wild pigs were recovered from different places in Sundarbans in the last five days. During this time, 18 more deer and a python were rescued and released in the forest.

Mihir Kumar Doe, conservator of the forest of Khulna region, confirmed this on Thursday.

He also said Sundanbans witnessed an 8-10 feet high tidal surge on Sunday and Monday, resulting in inundation of vast tract of the Sundarbans including Katka, Kachikhali, Dubla, Shela, Nilkamal, Mandarbari and some other parts.

The violent storm destroyed a number of trees and inundated a vast part of the Sundarbans, destroying the abode of the wild animals, according to forest officials. Salt water entered 80 ponds inside the forest, destroying the source of freshwater.