An Assessment of Cyclone Mitigation and Management Policies of Bangladesh: A Focus on Early Warning Systems

Abstract

This study was conducted in Dhaka and Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh to examine grass-roots cyclone vulnerability and the government policies and cross-scale linkages that address this vulnerability. After conducting surveys with local villagers, it was determined that while the majority of people understand the cyclone is impending, the options available to them for safe evacuation are limited, as there are not enough cyclone shelters, not all shelters are maintained and in usable condition. Also, budget constraints and improper relief distribution impair the country's ability to mitigate cyclone vulnerability. It was realized that the NGOs act not only as a liaison between villagers and government, but they are the major stakeholder in local level capacity building. It was recommended that additional NGOs for a presence in Cox's Bazar to alliviate the pressure felt by the Cyclone Preparedness Program and Red Crescent, but also to increase the ability of local villagers to work with disaster management stakeholders that are not government representatives.