Barguna, Nov 15 (V7N) – Eighteen years have passed since Cyclone Sidr ravaged the coastal belt of Bangladesh, yet the memories of that terrifying night remain vivid for the people of Patharghata in Barguna. On November 15, 2007, the Category-5 storm slammed into the coast with catastrophic force, leaving the region devastated within just ten minutes of storm surge and violent winds.

According to local records, Cyclone Sidr killed 1,345 people in Barguna district alone, including 349 residents of Patharghata. Bodies lay scattered across the coastline, and in many places burial space ran out amid the overwhelming scale of the tragedy. The storm destroyed homes, fishing boats, livestock, and farmland, leaving thousands of families without shelter or livelihoods.

Ninety-one fishermen from Patharghata who were at sea that night are still missing. Their families continue to live in uncertainty, unsure whether their loved ones survived or perished. Without official death certificates, many cannot sell inherited land, transfer property, or access government assistance. Widows and children continue to wait for closure that has never come.

Among the hardest-hit is Saleha, whose only son disappeared while fishing during the storm. Her husband, devastated by the loss, fell ill and remains bedridden. With no earning member left, she now goes to the river herself to catch fish for survival. Families like hers, having lost their primary breadwinners, continue to struggle even after nearly two decades.

Rahim, who lost two brothers in Sidr, said a trawler carrying seventeen fishermen—including his siblings—went missing during the cyclone. “We still do not know whether they are alive or dead. There has been no trace of them,” he said.

Patharghata Upazila Nirbahi Officer Mizanur Rahman noted that the cyclone robbed the community of both its loved ones and its economic foundation. He emphasized that expanded government support and stronger disaster-management initiatives are essential for restoring livelihoods and protecting coastal communities from future threats.

Although eighteen years have passed, the trauma of Sidr continues to shape daily life in Patharghata, where the struggle to rebuild remains an ongoing reality.

END/MRR/SMA/