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| Cyclone Preparedness Programme | |
|---|---|
| Name | Cyclone Preparedness Programme |
| Formation | 1973 |
| Headquarters | Dhaka |
| Region served | Bangladesh |
| Parent organization | Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief |
Cyclone Preparedness Programme
The Cyclone Preparedness Programme is a national disaster-risk-reduction initiative in Bangladesh focused on tropical cyclone preparedness, evacuation, and early warning. It operates at the intersection of national policy, local implementation, and international humanitarian coordination, drawing on partnerships with agencies from the United Nations, regional meteorological services, and non-governmental organizations. The Programme integrates community volunteers, coastal administration units, and scientific agencies to reduce cyclone-related mortality and infrastructure damage.
The Programme functions as a coordinated mechanism linking the Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief with field-level actors such as the Bangladesh Meteorological Department, Bangladesh Water Development Board, Bangladesh Navy, Bangladesh Army, and local administrations including Upazila Parishads and Union Parishads. It aligns with international frameworks including the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, engages with United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction initiatives, and collaborates with international partners like United Nations Development Programme, United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, and World Bank. The Programme also interfaces with regional systems such as the Indian Meteorological Department and the Bay of Bengal Large Marine Ecosystem programmes to coordinate transboundary cyclone responses.
The Programme was established following major cyclone disasters that affected the Bhola Island and the 1970 Bhola cyclone aftermath, prompting policy reforms in Dhaka and international support from entities such as the United Kingdom Department for International Development and United States Agency for International Development. Over time its development involved technical inputs from the Asian Development Bank, collaboration with research institutions like the Bangladesh Centre for Advanced Studies and International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh, and operational learning influenced by events including the Cyclone Sidr and Cyclone Aila responses. Its evolution reflects lessons from humanitarian operations during the 1974 floods in Bangladesh and incorporates guidance from the Humanitarian Charter and standards such as the Sphere Project.
Governance structures connect the Programme with national authorities including the Prime Minister's Office and sector ministries such as the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Ministry of Shipping. Field operations are organized through a hierarchy of units from district level disaster management committees down to Union Parishads and volunteer networks. Coordination mechanisms link to military assets including the Bangladesh Air Force and maritime assets like the Bangladesh Coast Guard for evacuation logistics. Funding and oversight have involved multilateral trustees such as the Asian Development Bank, bilateral donors like Japan International Cooperation Agency, and oversight by national audit institutions such as the Comptroller and Auditor General of Bangladesh.
Early warning integrates observations from the Bangladesh Meteorological Department, tide gauges managed by the Bangladesh Water Development Board, and satellite data from platforms such as NOAA and EUMETSAT. Communication channels employ mass media outlets including Bangladesh Betar, Bangladesh Television, and private broadcasters, while mobile alerts use networks of providers allied with Telecom Regulatory Commission (Bangladesh). Local dissemination is achieved via volunteer networks, school systems, and places of worship like mosques in Bangladesh and community centers coordinated with Local Government Engineering Department facilities. International technical cooperation has involved the World Meteorological Organization and the International Telecommunications Union on warning standardization.
Community preparedness emphasizes volunteer recruitment, training modules developed with partners such as the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies and the Bangladesh Red Crescent Society, and drills conducted with local authorities including Upazila Nirbahi Officer offices and District Commissioner (Bangladesh) administrations. Educational outreach engages academic institutions such as the University of Dhaka and Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology for curriculum development and shelter-design research, while civil-society partners like BRAC and PROSHIK support grassroots mobilization. Gender-sensitive programming coordinates with Ministry of Women and Children Affairs and international agencies such as UN Women to ensure vulnerable groups are prioritized.
Operational response mobilizes evacuation via interagency coordination among the Bangladesh Armed Forces, Bangladesh Coast Guard, Department of Public Health Engineering (Bangladesh), and non-governmental organizations including ActionAid, CARE International, and OXFAM. Relief logistics rely on warehouses managed by the World Food Programme and supply chains supported by International Organization for Migration for displaced populations. Medical response integrates public hospitals such as Dhaka Medical College and Hospital and public-health guidance from Institute of Epidemiology Disease Control and Research. Post-cyclone recovery includes infrastructure rebuilding aligned with standards from the Asian Development Bank and technical assistance from the United Nations Development Programme.
Impact assessment uses damage and loss methodologies influenced by the World Bank and monitoring frameworks from the United Nations Development Programme and UNICEF. Data collection draws on satellite imagery from Landsat and Sentinel programmes, economic assessments informed by the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics, and epidemiological surveillance coordinated with Institute of Epidemiology Disease Control and Research. Independent evaluations have been conducted by organizations such as the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies and academic analyses from institutions like the BRAC University and International Centre for Climate Change and Development. Continuous monitoring informs policy adjustments in national planning instruments including the National Plan for Disaster Management and aligns with international reporting under the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction.
Category:Disaster management in Bangladesh