Southern Bangladesh has suffered its worst cyclone since 1991. Thousands have died and millions have been rendered homeless.

On Tuesday both ITV and BBC London came to Tower Hamlets Respect chair Azmal Hussain’s restaurant in Brick Lane to interview two Respect members who come from the area worst affected.

Nasrin Akther has lost her aunt, her grandmother and 35 friends in the cyclone. Her home village has been flattened and one of her daughters is missing. Communication is very difficult with the area but she has heard from other members of her family that virtually every building in her village has been destroyed and they are being forced to live in a primary school with no electricity and little food and water.

Beauty Akther, who is not related but comes from the same area, says that the homes of many members of her family have been destroyed and her two daughters are being forced to live in just one house with parents, aunts, uncles and cousins.

The Disasters Emergency Committee, co-ordinating the Bangladesh Cyclone Appeal with 13 aid agencies, also held a press conference in Brick Lane on Tuesday.

Tower Hamlets Respect council group leader Abjol Miah says: “It is vital that aid is rushed to the area right now. Quite small sums of money go a long way in Bangladesh because it is so poor.

“However the reason the death toll is as high as it is because of the grinding poverty of the region. This has prevented people from building storm proof homes or getting the early warnings of extreme weather which would enable them to evacuate the most vulnerable areas. That is why we also need more long-term development aid.

“But this also brings home the urgency of action on climate change and global warming. Bangladesh is extremely vulnerable to rising sea levels and extreme weather. This government has a miserable record so far on the reduction of carbon emissions.

“We need urgent action in all three areas if we are not to see even worse disasters in Bangladesh and elsewhere.”

Respect in Tower Hamlets and Newham are organising fund-raising events including a dinner to raise funds to help those in need. Information on these events will be posted shortly.

You can find out how to donate to the Bangladesh Cyclone Appeal by clicking on this link. Please donate generously.