Thousands of people are still feeling the effects of cyclone Aila two months after it hit coastal
Bangladesh and India.
MAF relief pilot Rune Karlsson describes the scene from a flight in the
amphibious Caravan earlier this month:
‘Different organisations are there working, mostly smaller ones. There is a big need for water purifying tablets and food. Thousands of houses are destroyed. I landed at this place just south of Assasuni near Sunderban. Many embankments are broken, water is streaming everywhere and houses washed away.
‘There are several hundreds of people there to meet the plane. The beach is very slippery with mud everywhere. I could hardly walk. I walked along embankment next to the river, people everywhere were asking for food and water. I felt quite helpless, since I actually could not do anything. Quite amazingly in spite of all the tragedy, people are still smiling in Bangladesh. We have got something to learn.'
Many relief agencies have benefited from recent flights to the south, including DfID, Action Against Hunger, Free Christian Churches of Bangladesh and Helen Keller International.
So there is a lot for MAF to do in this remote area. Without the plane, it is very hard to reach these remote areas.Rune Karlsson, MAF relief pilot