Factors Affecting the Cyclone Preparedness Programme Volunteers’ Performance in Early Warning Dissemination in Emergency Response in Bangladesh

Abstract

Millions of people living along coastal Bangladesh are at risk from cyclones, and timely dissemination and social acceptance of effective early warnings could significantly save their lives. In recent years, the Cyclone Preparedness Programme (CPP) volunteers have gained considerable popularity among local community as the most reliable source for early warning and emergency assistance for evacuation during coastal cyclones. The sustainability of the CPP is threatened not only by limited funding but also by the difficulty of attracting and retaining committed and efficient volunteers. The purpose of this study is to identify factors that affect the activities of Cyclone Preparedness Programme volunteers regarding early warning dissemination during emergency responses. The research design of this study integrated both qualitative and quantitative approaches. The questionnaires were complemented by face-to-face interviews and Focus Group Discussion with 177 residents of the Koyra and Ukhiya sub-districts (Upazila) to investigate the respondents’ responses to early warning information. In addition, a total of 23 CPP volunteers’ opinions were collected through a questionnaire survey, to identify the factors influencing CPP volunteering performance. The obtained results also show that both of the study-area communities did not properly understand the cyclone early warning signal system delivered by CPP volunteers. Approximately 49% of the community said that they could not interpret the warning message. The low level of community contact with CPP volunteers also hinders trust in warning messages and evacuation decisions. The findings also concluded that the factors related to the effectiveness of volunteering were found to be individual volunteer’s experience, training opportunities, lack of equipment and materials due to lack of budget, the social class of individual volunteers and in the absence of proper coordination. Maintainace of CPP volunteers engaged throughout the year is very challenging. These limited engagement features affect the cyclone preparedness and early warning activities of CPP. The government needs to implement policies that enable the mobilization of adequate resources and awareness campaigns to be mobilized toward the volunteers.