Cyclone Sidr tore through Southeast Bangladesh in November 2007, lashing affected areas with winds of up to 155 mph. More than 3,000 people were killed and 871 went missing. About 8.9 million people were affected by the Category 4 storm, Bangladesh’s second natural disaster in a year. Reports of the immense devastation prompted Richard Hotes and 35 Hotes Foundation volunteers to undertake a life-saving mission to the districts of Kalikapur, Behala Chowrasta and Pakshia. The group’s successful efforts further exemplified the worldwide reach of Richard and his volunteers.
Nothing stops the Hotes Foundation from distributing aid directly to the people in need, and the events in Bangladesh illustrate the dedication of Richard and his volunteers. Despite their arrests in Dhaka just days earlier, Richard and his team delivered eight 40-foot container trucks filled with hundreds of tons of rice, milk, blankets and diapers directly to the villages along the Ganges River Delta with little to no coordination with other relief groups. That the Hotes Foundation could provide without any assistance the kind of aid desperately needed by the people of Bangladesh shows how important leadership and dedicated volunteers on the ground are in disaster recovery.
For more information on this mission or to learn how to volunteer with the Hotes Foundation, please call (425) 889-5917 or complete our online form.
