NOAKHALI, Bangladesh — Nurul Haque wades slowly across a murky pool of water. He places one foot cautiously in front of the other, avoiding the dirt and debris that the floods have washed in. He holds his lungi, the sarong-like garment he wears to cover his legs, as high as he can. But it’s soaking by the time he reaches me.

Last month, his humble, two-room house became submerged in 3 feet of water caused by flash floods that swept across huge swaths of northeastern, eastern and southern Bangladesh.

Although most of the water has receded, it is lingering in some of the worst-hit areas of the country.

Haque told me he was terrified when the water started gushing in.