Case Study:  Bangladesh's Response to Tropical Cyclone Sidr

High engery biscuits are moved to a distribution center overseen by Save the Children in the village of Senerhat, Barisal District in Bangladesh. Save the Children/David Greedy

Save the Children was prepared for the Category 4 storm, Tropical Cyclone Sidr which landed in Bangladesh on Thursday, November 15, 2007. We supported a large-scale evacuation of children and families before the storm and deployed staff and equipment, including rescue boats, to the area and arranged for food and water purification supplies to be sent to the at-risk areas in anticipation of our emergency response. These preparations saved tens of thousands of lives – in 1991, a cyclone of a similar strength killed 140,000 people.

Our staff in Bangladesh have been working for the past three years in two areas of preparedness:

Community-Based Preparedness

• Worked alongside vulnerable communities/upazilas in the coastal areas to develop and build the capacity of community emergency response structures, such as Upazila Disaster Management Committees in collaboration with the relevant governmental disaster management agencies, local authorities, NGOs and Cyclone Preparedness Program (CPP) volunteers
• Managed cyclone awareness field simulations for over 10,000 community members, including women and children, in several vulnerable Upazilas, some of which were recently affected by Cyclone Sidr
• Conducted cyclone preparedness activities that included assessing approximately 500 Cyclone Preparedness Program to gauge the status of equipment and capacity and training over 600 search and rescue units
• Educated community members on typical disaster season(s), appropriate emergency preparedness and response activities and the order in which to do them, and early warning systems, especially as it applied to livelihoods

Country Office Preparedness

• Drafted a programmatic and operational emergency preparedness plan
• Developed and/or strengthened emergency response and preparedness plans and capacities of partners
• Implemented organizational emergency structures with clear roles and responsibilities for staff for preparedness and response stages
• Identified staff, equipment, and material needs for specific contingencies
• Prepositioned lifesaving materials for emergency response team in various locations
• Institutionalized early warning systems and communication procedures

Our staff in Bangladesh, and around the world, are committed to furthering their preparedness efforts to better assist children and their families following emergencies. Additional pre-positioned emergency relief stocks are needed, as well as continued emergency response trainings in security, first aid, best practices in conducting a rapid assessment, simple assessment tools that can be easily used and key programmatic issues such as the nutritional needs of children during emergencies.

Read more about our response

Save the Children's ability to respond quickly to emergencies around the world where significant numbers of children are at risk greatly depends on our available resources. By contributing to the Children's Emergency Fund, you enable us to prepare for and respond immediately to children and families who urgently need our help when disasters strike.

Read more about Save the Children's Emergency Preparedness