Motaleb Mia, who is now over 40, has taken shelter at Munshirhat Ali Azam High School along with his wife and children. He has lost his home and farmland in the flood.
As he has no money with him, he is unable to get food for his children. He could not afford to buy essential medicine for his wife.
He's among thousands marooned in Feni as embankments were broken and breached across the district in the flood.
Being emotional while talking, Motaleb Mia said, "At this age, I have been forced to leave my home. I came to this shelter around midnight on Wednesday. I have no money to buy medicine for my wife.
"We're starving, and the little one is crying nonstop."
Wiping his tears, he also said, "We've taken shelter on the second floor of this school, but does putting a roof over your head make it a home?"
Lipi Begum (not her real name), like Motaleb, has also taken shelter in a relief centre.
She is staying on the second floor of Munshirhat Ali Azam High School with her two children.
There was frustration and despair in her voice as the flood engulfed her home.
"I've been experiencing this misery since childhood," Lipi said, adding that last time, her family took shelter on this same floor. "And here we are again. But how long can we stay? Our home is underwater, and there's no food here. Just having a place to sleep doesn't mean life is livable."
She asked, "If the shelter gets submerged one day, where will we go with our children?"
Just like these people, over a hundred families have taken shelter in various institutions across Fulgazi upazila.
Last year, Sultana lost everything in the flood, except her son.
This year, once again, she has to take shelter with her son.
This is the story of everyone who has taken refuge in the shelters. In their words, a new battle for survival begins after the floodwaters recede.
For the past several years, people from every union of the upazila have been fighting to survive against the rise of water.
Just like last year, heavy rainfall and water surging in from upstream India have plunged Feni's Fulgazi into flooding.
Some 85 villages of the upazila are submerged.
The flood control embankments of the Muhuri, Silonia, and Kohua rivers collapsed at eight points.
Multiple families, who have taken shelter on the second floor of the shelter building, are crammed into tiny rooms. They are enduring hardship together. Their cattle, goats, ducks and chickens are also with them.
Over a hundred families have taken refuge on higher ground in Natun Munshirhat Azmeri Begum Girls' High School and the nearby open market area,
Like them, more than a thousand families from Fulgazi have taken shelter in various relief centres.
Shelters not as safe as thought
However, several members of these families shared their concerns, saying that the conditions in the shelters are not as safe as they seem.
Some of the major concerns are - there are no separate rooms for women, no proper healthcare facilities, and nothing can be found for the children.
Many people go door to door in search of food.
Although there is aid allocated for them, it doesn't always reach these people.
Authorities, on many occasions, speak of long-term solutions, but nothing has been done yet.
Local residents say they desperately want a sustainable embankment. Otherwise, this cycle of struggle due to flood will continue.
"A visit was made to Azmeri Begum Girls' High School to check on the dependents. Arrangements have been made for the food and water supply," said Moazzem Hossain, an official of Munshirhat Union Parishad (UP).
Fariha Islam, the upazila nirbahi officer (UNO) of Fulbari, has inspected the shelter centre in the Sadar area.
Leaders of the upazila BNP have also visited centres and distributed food.
Some 6,950 people from 1,650 families have taken shelter in 50 shelter centres in the district.
According to district administration sources, some 99 shelter centres, including 32 secondary schools and 67 primary schools, have been prepared to tackle the flood situation in Feni's Fulgazi Upazila. Till now, the authority has allocated Tk 6 lakh for the distribution of dry food.
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