Period covered by this Ops Update:
24 May to 2 June 2013
Appeal target:
CHF 2,789,432 in cash, kind, or services to support the Bangladesh Red Crescent Society (BDRCS) to assist 9,000 families (45,000 beneficiaries) for nine months and will be completed by end of February 2014.
Appeal Coverage: The appeal is 11 per cent covered. Funds are required to enable BDRCS in continuing to provide humanitarian assistance and recovery.
Appeal history:
This emergency appeal was launched on 24 May 2013.
Disaster Relief Emergency Fund (DREF): CHF 305,688 was allocated on 18 May 2013 from the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies’ (IFRC) Disaster Relief Emergency Fund (DREF) to support BDRCS in delivering immediate assistance to 20,000 beneficiaries.
Summary
Cyclonic storm Mahasen made landfall in Patuakhali district in southern Bangladesh in the morning of 16 May 2013, and then weakened as it advanced and a predicted storm surge was avoided due to low tide. It hit ten west central coastal districts and affected 1,498,579 people1 and left 17 people dead. Out of the ten affected districts, Patuakhali, Bhola and Barguna were affected most severely by the tropical cyclone.
According to the National Disaster Response Coordination Centre report, a total of 956,672 people were evacuated in 3,296 cyclone shelters located in 15 coastal districts before the cyclone hit.
As per the government’s information of 26 May, a total of 26,577 houses have been completely damaged and 124,428 houses have been partially damaged in nine affected districts.2 People have been forced to take shelter on roadsides and in temporary locations. Women, children, elderly and the disabled were the most affected in this context, because it became difficult for them to maintain their regular routines and remain secure in new dwellings.
Before the landfall, a total of 49,365 Cyclone Preparedness Programme (CPP) volunteers were mobilized in the all 13 coastal districts for dissemination of early warning and evacuation messages as well as assisted in the evacuation of the populations living along the coastal areas to safer place. After landfall, BDRCS conducted light search and rescue operations, provided first aid, and distributed dry food and safe water to the affected population. On 18 May, BDRCS dispatched relief items for 4,000 families in the districts of Patuakhali, Barguna and Bhola.
Six National Disaster Response Team (NDRT) members were deployed to the three targeted districts in order to support the response operation of the local unit. Distribution of cash and NFI for 4,000 families has been completed on 30 May 2013. The Government of Bangladesh (GoB) has sanctioned the distribution of food and cash amounting to BDT 12.3 million (approximately CHF 154,000) and 5,000 MT of rice in the cyclonic affected districts. To date, the GoB has distributed rice, shelter materials and cash grant to many of the affected population. The GoB has initiated a programme to re-build completely damaged shelters in the first phase in Barguna, Patuakhali and Bhola districts and allocated BDT 300 million (CHF 2.5 million) for this purpose.
IFRC has resumed convening the Shelter Cluster to coordinate the emergency shelter response. A Shelter Cluster coordinator from the Global Shelter Cluster Support Team is in country to facilitate the inter-agency emergency shelter response and assessment. Currently the Joint Need Assessment (JNA) Phase 3 is near completion in the three most affected districts of Patuakhali, Barguna and Bhola. This coordinated assessment combines the efforts of the Shelter (IFRC), WASH (UNICEF), and Early Recovery (UNDP)
Clusters and more than 20 operational agencies and NGOs from the three represented clusters and aims to clarify and confirm the extent, scale, and operational priorities resulting from this storm.
This operation is expected to be implemented over nine months, and will therefore be completed by the end of February 2014. A Final Report will be made available three months after the end of the operation (by the end of May 2014).