'The ground shook in the flood, I thought I wouldn't survive'

Abdul Khalek, a resident of the Subar Bazar area in Feni's Parshuram upazila, witnessed his home wash away during the devastating floods last August. As the sudden rush of mountain runoff flooded the area, he felt the ground beneath him shake. He managed to survive by climbing onto the roof of his house with his family members.

In mid-August, sudden mountain runoff from India and continuous heavy rainfall triggered severe floods in Feni, Noakhali, and Comilla. Within a few hours, hundreds of villages in Parshuram and Fulgazi upazilas were submerged. Local residents stated they had never seen such a terrifying and strong current in their lives.

The army, coast guard, and volunteers from across the country stepped forward for rescue operations during this sudden disaster. However, due to the strong water currents, it was difficult to reach remote areas even with speedboats during the first two days. Locals faced a severe crisis of dry food and clean drinking water, which was later distributed through government and private initiatives.

Although the floodwaters have receded, the suffering of the affected families is far from over. Having lost their homes, many are still living under the open sky or in temporary shelters. Urgent government and private assistance is now needed to rebuild the destroyed homes and help them return to normal life.