Sumaiya Afrin was cooking. She was thinking her head was spinning which is quite normal given she has vertigo. But seeing the rice on the oven, she realised something was happening.
At this point Sumaiya heard the scream of her daughter from the shower. First, she rushed towards her daughter, but ran back to put off the gas oven.
Hearing the rattling of surrounding objects and the glass windows, she went towards the bathroom and saw her daughter lying unconscious. Wrapping her in a towel, she came down from the third floor to the garage.
Sumaiya still felt as if everything around her was swaying. After the tremor stopped, she carried her daughter back to the third floor, put a frock on her, then came downstairs again and stood on the street with others.
Sumaiya, a resident of Mirpur-6 in the capital, was describing the situation during last Friday’s earthquake. The mother had been alone at home at the time with her eight-year-old daughter Tasnuva Afrin. The child’s father was outside Dhaka for business.
At 10:38 am on Friday, an earthquake shook the capital along with various parts of the country. Ten people, including children, were killed in the earthquake, and more than 600 were injured. Three more quakes occurred the following day, Saturday.
Speaking to Prothom Alo, Sumaiya said, “After my daughter opened her eyes that day, she kept screaming nonstop. She said, ‘Mom, the house is crashing. Take me somewhere safe. I don’t want to live in Dhaka.’”
To help restore a sense of normalcy, Sumaiya took her daughter to school yesterday, Sunday. However, fearing another earthquake, she sat in front of the school the entire time.
Sumaiya said that since the incident, her daughter has been clinging to her. She said the girl is now afraid to go to the bathroom, is unable to sleep at night, and becomes frightened at any sound around her. She has been speaking in confusion and saying incoherent things.
To help restore a sense of normalcy, Sumaiya took her daughter to school yesterday, Sunday. However, fearing another earthquake, she sat in front of the school the entire time.
Sumaiya said, “In all my years, I have never experienced such a frightening situation. I do not even know what I did at that moment. I am thinking of taking her to our village home for a visit to help her return to normal.”
In such situations, it is not unusual for not only children but also adults to feel afraid, said psychiatrist Helal Uddin Ahmed.
He told Prothom Alo that children must be given accurate information about earthquakes, and they should also be told in advance what to do during an earthquake.
Shamima Akter, a resident of West Rajabazar in the capital, said they are also struggling with their daughter Afra Nawar, a fourth-grader. Their flat is on the 10th floor. During Friday’s earthquake, the girl became extremely frightened. They somehow managed to calm her then.
However, they have not been able to calm her at all since another earthquake hit on Saturday. From social media, television, newspapers and the conversations of adults, she has got the idea that a bigger earthquake may strike anytime. She cannot accept this.
In all my years, I have never experienced such a frightening situation. I do not even know what I did at that moment. I am thinking of taking her to our village home for a visit to help her return to normal.Sumaiya Afrin, a housewife
Shamima said her daughter keeps asking whether she has to die at such a young age. She says she will either go abroad or to their village home, but she will not stay in Dhaka under any circumstances. On Sunday, they could not send her to school. She says she cannot concentrate on her studies. They even have to keep the room lights on at night.
Speaking to several parents, it emerged that many other children, like Tasnuva and Afra, have also become terrified after the earthquake. Parents say they are worried seeing their children in such a state and do not know what to do.
Anima Ferdous, a physician at a women’s and children’s hospital in Ashulia, shared her experience of Friday’s earthquake on Facebook. She was at work attending to a child patient at the time. Her own children were at home in Dhaka under the care of a housemaid.
Shamima said her daughter keeps asking whether she has to die at such a young age. She says she will either go abroad or to their village home, but she will not stay in Dhaka under any circumstances.
The mother had not locked the door at home, but somehow it got locked during the earthquake. Once the tremor stopped, she saw on the CCTV that her elder daughter and the housemaid were trying to open the door but could not. Meanwhile, her younger son was screaming and crying. Neighbours broke the door open and rescued the children. Other family members arrived later.
The mother returned home from work at 10:00 pm. Before going to sleep, her five-year-old son told her, “Why did you leave me at home? I’m scared of earthquakes, don’t you know?”
Anima Ferdous ended her Facebook post with, “What an uncertain life we have.”
In the span of nearly 31 hours between Friday and Saturday, four earthquakes were felt in and around Dhaka, highlighting the risks while spreading fear among people.
Several parents told Prothom Alo that they are concerned about how to help children overcome trauma or fear, keep them mentally healthy, and what to do if a stronger earthquake hits.
Speaking about this, professor Helal Uddin Ahmed of the Department of Child-Adolescent and Family Psychiatry at Faridpur Medical College Hospital told Prothom Alo that it is not unusual for people to feel fear in such situations. Feeling afraid does not mean a person is mentally weak.
He further said that people should be given accurate information about what to do during events like earthquakes. Efforts should be made to quickly bring fearful individuals or children back to normal activities. They should not be isolated from friends or family.
According to him, often, when elder family members become frightened, the fear spreads to children as well. It must be understood that no one has control over natural disasters like earthquakes, and the focus should be on managing the situation.
In the case of children who are afraid, Helal Uddin Ahmed said it is important to ensure they get enough sleep at night. He added that discussions that might further frighten them should be avoided, and if the level of fear increases, they should be taken to a psychiatrist.
He also noted that rumours and false information often spread on Facebook and urged everyone to remain alert. Beyond that, he emphasised that instructions on what to do during an earthquake should be practical and realistic.