Cyclone Sidr in Bangladesh
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Damage, Loss, and Needs Assessment for Recovery and Reconstruction after Cyclone Sidr Cyclone Sidr in Bangladesh . Damage, Loss and Needs Assessment For Disaster Recovery and Reconstruction Dhaka, February 2008 A Report Prepared by the Government of Bangladesh Assisted by the International Development Community with Financial Support from the European Commission April 2008 Cyclone Sidr in Bangladesh Damage, Loss, and Needs Assessment for Disaster Recovery and Reconstruction A Report Prepared by the Government of Bangladesh Assisted by the International Development Community with Financial Support from the European Commission April 2008 Damage, Loss, and Needs Assessment for Recovery and Reconstruction after Cyclone Sidr i Foreword Bangladesh is a disaster‐prone country that is affected almost every year by some form of natural disaster, be it floods, torrential rains, erosion, or cyclones. Of the 508 cyclones that have originated in the Bay of Bengal in the last 100 years, 17 percent have hit Bangladesh, amounting to a severe cyclone almost once every three years. Of these, nearly fifty three percent have claimed more than five thousand lives. Given the severity of Cyclone Sidr, the projected destruction from the storm was expected to be much higher than what ultimately occurred. This was due, in large part, to the Government’s recent investments in an improved Early Warning System that served to alert the population to the impending storm as well in over two thousand emergency shelters that were able to accommodate over half of the evacuated populations. In addition, immediately after the storm, the Armed Forces launched search and rescue and early relief operations. The Government’s efforts were also immediately supported by a quick response on the part of the international and national aid communities. The Government of Bangladesh, in collaboration with the UN, the National Red Crescent Society, and the IFRC, undertook several humanitarian assessment missions and started humanitarian relief operations focused on food aid, nutrition, water and sanitation, shelter, disease surveillance and other items. The Government allocated BDT 450 million (US$ 6.7 Million) for relief and housing construction, distributed relief items, and sent out medical teams. Forty‐nine countries, including Australia, Canada, China, India, Italy, Japan, Kuwait, The Netherlands, Norway, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Sweden, UK, USA, and the European Commission provided emergency relief support for the victims of Cyclone Sidr. The US Marine Forces participated in the rescue and relief operations in the affected regions. These efforts were complemented by international donors, such as UNDP, UNICEF, OXFAM, SCF Alliance, World Vision, Care Bangladesh, Islamic Relief, Caritas, Christian Aid, Concern Worldwide, and Action Aid Bangladesh. Several national organizations, such as BRAC, Adventist Development and Relief Agency International (ADRA), and other national NGOs delivered food and nonfood relief items to the affected families. Grameen Bank, BRAC, and ASA waived loan payments for members who were affected by the cyclone. The Government’s Disaster and Emergency Response (DER) subgroup of the Local Consultative Group (LCG) coordinated international humanitarian relief and early recovery planning, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Economic Relations Division (ERD) organized meetings for Development Partner countries and organizations in order to brief them about the impact of Cyclone Sidr. Following the relief efforts, the Economic Relations Division (ERD) requested Joint Damage and Loss Needs Assessment (JDLNA) to be carried out jointly by the donor community and the Government of Bangladesh, through its Ministries of Planning, Food and Disaster Management and other line Ministries and Agencies. ii Damage, Loss, and Needs Assessment for Recovery and Reconstruction after Cyclone Sidr The Government wishes to thank the World Bank for its coordinating role on the report, the United Nations Agencies and other Development Partners for their contributions to the assessments, and the European Commission for their generous financial support. The resulting report, initiated by the Government of Bangladesh and Development Partners could well serve as an example for the ongoing global discussion in developing generic protocols for donor response to disasters at the request of the Government. Md. Aminul Islam Bhuiyan, Secretary Economic Relations Division Ministry of Finance Representing the Government of Bangladesh Damage, Loss, and Needs Assessment for Recovery and Reconstruction after Cyclone Sidr iii Foreword On 15 November 2007, Cyclone Sidr struck the coast of Bangladesh and moved inland, destroying infrastructure, causing numerous deaths, disrupting economic activities, and affecting social conditions, especially in the poorer areas of the country. However, the Government’s recent investment in an early warning system served to limit these damages and led to timely evacuation of the affected populations. This report describes the assessment of damage to physical assets, the subsequent losses sustained across all economic activities, and the impact of the disaster on both the national economy and household‐level activities and well‐being. In the aftermath of Cyclone Sidr, the Government of Bangladesh responded to the affected areas with timely aid and assistance, supported by civil society and donors. The Armed Forces were deployed to support the civilian authorities in charge of disaster management and Care Taker Government executed the immediate relief effort with impressive coordination. Donor funds allocated to the relief effort were managed in a judicious fashion by the Government. On 3 December, 2007, the Chief Advisor appealed to donors for assistance in developing and implementing a medium and long‐term disaster funding strategy. On 12 December 2007, members of the Local Consultative Group agreed to conduct a Joint Damage, Loss, and Needs Assessment (JDNLA) on the impact of Cyclone Sidr. The aim of the assessment was to identify priority areas to support the Government of Bangladesh in cyclone recovery efforts as well as to recommend priority interventions for a long‐term disaster management strategy. A comprehensive methodology was used to estimate damage to assets, changes in economic flows, and impacts on social and economic conditions. The estimates were based on quantitative information collected by the Government of Bangladesh and the Development Partners during field surveys in the aftermath of the disaster. This information was supplemented by completed and ongoing assessments of United Nations (UN) agencies and community‐based analysis conducted by the national and international Non‐Governmental Organizations (NGOs) that participated in the joint effort. The recent disaster is one of several extreme natural phenomena—especially hydro‐ meteorological—that occur frequently in Bangladesh, with devastating effects on the social and economic development efforts. The analysis undertaken reveals that considerable progress has been made in recent years to reduce the impacts of disasters, but more must be done to further reduce vulnerability and risk, especially in light of increasing impact of climate change. The analysis of the damage and loss assessment has identified the needs and quantified financial requirements that will facilitate formulating comprehensive early recovery actions, medium‐term recovery and reconstruction plans, and a long‐term risk iv Damage, Loss, and Needs Assessment for Recovery and Reconstruction after Cyclone Sidr management and reduction strategy. These should be formulated, adopted and implemented to reduce the impact of future disasters which are likely to be more intense due to climate change. International support will be essential as domestic resources and capacities are limited. The JDLNA report was prepared as a joint effort between the donor community and the Government of Bangladesh through its Ministries of Planning, Food and Disaster Management, and other line Ministries/Agencies. The donors wish to thank these Ministries for the inputs they provided for the JDLNA, and are especially grateful for the role of the ERD and the Ministry of Finance for coordinating discussions between the joint partners. The experience in Bangladesh provides a particularly salient example of joint coordination and effort not only within the donor community, but also between the joint partners in this effort: the Government of Bangladesh, civil society and the donor community. The country must enter into the post‐disaster phase of socio‐economic recovery and reconstruction and face the longer‐term issue of disaster reduction through risk management. This report is intended to provide the inputs to define the international support that the Government of Bangladesh will require in future years to achieve this objective. Xian Zhu Country Director World Bank Office, Dhaka Damage, Loss, and Needs Assessment for Recovery and Reconstruction after Cyclone Sidr v Foreword Following the devastating cyclone Sidr that hit the south‐western coastal areas of Bangladesh on 15 November 2007, the European Commission (EC) has been quick in mobilizing emergency relief for the affected population. To date, the EC's Humanitarian Aid Office (ECHO) has allocated € 20.425 million for post‐SIDR relief. The Government of Bangladesh, in its drive to thoroughly plan the recovery and longer term development in the affected areas, requested the support