Abstract
The need to consider disaster risk reduction at the time of recovery is well-recognized. Viable disaster risk reduction measures should resolve the root causes of predisaster vulnerabilities. Accordingly, we investigated the recovery from the impact of Cyclone Aila in Koyra Upazila, Bangladesh, which was severely damaged by this 2009 cyclone. Our research focused on understanding pre-Aila vulnerabilities to cyclone impact and examined the degree of inclusion of vulnerability reduction measures within the recovery process. A composite methodology that included an institutional survey, key informant interviews, collection of the judgment of experts, focus group discussions, and a score-based quantification technique was adopted. Through a process of understanding pre-Aila vulnerabilities, recognition of the root causes of these inherent weaknesses, and identification of appropriate measures for pre-Aila vulnerability reduction, a set of 23 indicators were selected to represent the most desirable vulnerability reduction measures to implement during recovery. A score-based technique was applied to measure the degree of inclusion of vulnerability reduction within the recovery with respect to the indicators. The scoring result shows that the degree of inclusion of vulnerability reduction within the recovery was poor. The result specifies that among the 23 indicators of potential vulnerability reduction measures, 10 are completely missing and the rest are only partially included. The overall findings imply that the Koyra community continues to live with a vulnerability similar to that of the pre-Aila period.
Highlights
Bangladesh is geographically located in a cyclone-prone area, and has a long history of being hit by cyclones (Akhand 2003)
The score was decided by further expert evaluation and judgment and marked as “Further Evaluation (FE)” bThe list of initiatives inclusive of the indicator cMean of scores given by five experts, who were asked to evaluate the potential impact of the action/initiative on pre-Aila vulnerability reduction (PAVR)
The Cyclone Aila recovery is a new example of the GONGO joint approach for recovery
Summary
Bangladesh is geographically located in a cyclone-prone area, and has a long history of being hit by cyclones (Akhand 2003). Coastal embankments were constructed to prevent the high tides often associated with cyclones, which had the additional benefit of effectively preventing damage from low-intensity storm surges (Shah Alam Khan 2008). After yet another devastating cyclone in 1991, these initiatives were further strengthened, along with coastal afforestation, the creation of a preparedness policy, and enhanced disaster awareness. Community suffering due to continued tidal flooding, income insecurity, lack of freshwater supply, and vulnerabilities due to weak coastal embankments was still visible 7 years after the cyclone (Hossen 2016; New Age 2016) This persistent situation justifies research into whether the recovery process paid attention to pre-Aila vulnerability reduction (PAVR) as part of its mission
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