Under the column for deaths, a local official wrote ``nil.''
St. Martin's, 30 miles off the mainland, lost nobody in the storm that whipped up 125 mph winds, killed at least 107 people and injured 20,000. It is a story of courage and community - and of a government's success.
Since a devastating cyclone in 1991 killed an estimated 139,000 people throughout Bangladesh, the coastline has been studded with concrete shelters raised on 12-foot pillars to allow tidal surges to flow beneath.
The government also honed its early warning systems and set up a volunteer network to assist with evacuations.
When Abdul Sukur heard the warning had reached signal number 10 - the highest storm warning - he told his wife, Rubeka, to take their four children to the nearest shelter. When they got there it was already full.
``Being a small community, we all know each other. We agreed the only way we can all get inside the shelters is not to sit, but keep standing,'' said Abdul Sukur, a resident.
For 10 hours, fishermen and their families stood shoulder-to-shoulder in the shelter waiting out the storm.
``We held each other and we took turns holding the babies,'' said schoolteacher Maulavi Abdul Alam Azad. ``We also prayed.''
The cyclone hammered Bangladesh's southeastern coast Monday and Tuesday. Spring storms regularly hit the low-lying delta nation at the foot of the Himalayas. Since 1970, cyclones have killed 1.5 million people.
The government has not yet sought international help. But Jawadul Karim, the prime minister's press secretary, said assistance was welcome.
The government said it was organizing food supplies and temporary shelters for some of the million people left homeless. Military helicopters flew in tents, food and clothing to storm-wracked areas. The military was also helping local officials in rebuilding houses
There was no sign by Wednesday, however, that aid was reaching people on St. Martin's or in the mainland town of Teknaf, near the Burmese border.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, touring the disaster zone by helicopter, visited St. Martin's on Wednesday.
``I am grieved that you have lost your boats and other properties, but I am happy that there have been no deaths,'' the prime minister told residents through the same loudspeaker system used to spread word of the storm.
The 570 families on St. Martin Island an isolated life. At the best of times, it's a three-hour boat ride from Teknaf - six hours if the sea is rough.
Before the storm hit, cattle were tied behind a retaining wall built with coral rocks near the cyclone shelters to protect the animals.
``Though we lost some cattle, most of them survived,'' said Azad, the schoolteacher. ``We couldn't save the chickens, though. They all got blown away.''
Source: The Associated Press