Walking along the narrow trail towards Narayan Palli, a small hamlet in Baliara, Mousuni Island one is bound to notice the swathes of agriculture land which have lately denigrated into wastelands due to saline water intrusion. 32-year-old Muslema Bibi’s hut lies at the end of the narrow path, facing the vast expanse of barren land. The hut has recently undergone extensive repair work after it was completely damaged during Amphan cyclone.

Muslema’s husband Sheikh Jahidul (40) narrates the family’s ordeal over the past six months. First, the lockdown imposed by the Government post-COVID-19 outbreak drove him to near starvation at a distant land and then came the fury of cyclone Amphan, rendering his wife and minor son homeless.

“I had left for Kerala, 6 days prior to the lockdown. I was working as a day labourer at Bolagatti when the Government made the sudden announcement. I had only 5000 cash with me to survive in this foreign land for an indefinite period”, says Jahedul.

The money and the stocked ration dried up very soon, as he had to pay for his room rent. For many days he would survive on a one time meal for the fear of exhausting his savings. Then came the news of a strong cyclonic storm approaching towards Bengal, his native state. Driven by fear and anxiety Jahedul phone his wife on 19^th May, one day before the cyclone was expected to make its landfall. “I was alarmed by the news and frantically called my wife to enquire about the situation. I kept praying to Allah for the safety of my family”.

Though his wife and three-year-old son Mushtaq survived the cyclone as they were evacuated to the nearest cyclone shelter but their house was badly damaged. After 2 months of hardship, Jahedul returned home with other returnees only to witness the sight of his destroyed house. The family had been somehow surviving in a makeshift tent constructed with the tarpaulin sheet received from the state government. Food was arranged with the help of neighbours and relatives. The repair of the house was a concern for the family and Jahedul put in all his efforts to source some money for the repair. Despite repeated pleas made to the Panchayat Office, local political parties and the BDO office, his concern remain unresolved. Around this time Caritas India through the support of ECHO instilled a sense of relief in Jahedul.

His family is one of 504 beneficiaries of the Conditional Cash Transfer support programme. The amount of Rs.  8000 transferred in his wife’s account has been utilized to repair the walls of the house and purchase tin sheet for the roofing. “The tattered tarpaulin sheet has been replaced with the tin sheet”, he echoes in a joyous tone.

Additionally, Jahedul also participated in a hands-on training programme conducted by Caritas India volunteers on disseminating disaster notably cyclone-resistant features in shelter construction and repair. The repair work is under process as he plans to strengthen the roof by tying it down permanently into the ground with the help of bamboo pole and nylon rope. This will prevent the roof from being blow away by the winds.

Jahedul plans to return to Bolgatti. “Over here you hardly find any stable source of income, our agriculture fields have been destroyed by the saline water intrusion leaving no scope for future activities. But in Kerala there are lots of opportunities and the wages are also high”, he said adding that his employer in Kerala has been making repeated calls for resuming work.

The family is hopeful that the money which has been utilized in the restructuring and repair of the house will yield lasting results. They plan to invest further in strengthening its foundation to avoid any unforeseeable damage and ensure that they do not go homeless like this time.