Cyclone shelters need sustainable development

Abstract

Purpose The coastal zone of Bangladesh that is in the front line of the battle against climate change faced over 200 natural disasters in the past 40 years, and most of the disasters were cyclones. The inevitable cyclone shelter (CS), the backbone of disaster management (DM), provides short-term safety for the disaster victims in Bangladesh. This study aims to explore the community-based limitations and sustainable development features of CSs including the gender issues. Design/methodology/approach A questionnaire survey was carried out among 230 community people to identify the requirements and sustainable development features of CSs. A field visit was carried out in 23 CSs to capture its existing facilities. Key informant interviews were conducted in the office of Upazila Engineers to strengthen survey data. Findings This research found that the plan of CSs, quality of construction, capacity, facilities, entrance and exit, space allocation, management and policy were not capable enough to fulfill the needs and requirements of the community people. Due to lack of separate facilities, women and girls avoided shelters for fear of sexual and mental harassment in CSs, as they had experiences in the earlier events of cyclones. Insufficient facilities discourage community from using the shelters. Research limitations/implications Women and girls were shy to share their experience in CSs. The historical data were limited in the study area. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this research presents the actual community-based outcome. During CCRIP training program, the authors met 3,625 community people, and participatory discussions were made to explore the participants’ experiences and perceptions about the sustainable development of CSs. Practical implications South-Asian coastal zones are prone to natural, quasi-natural hazard and disasters, where shelters are required for protecting lives of community people during such disasters such as cyclones, storm surges, and floods. Therefore, this study can help in making sustainable development decisions in terms of constructing shelters in disaster-prone countries like Bangladesh. Social implications The outcomes of this investigation are useful for uplifting psychosocial status to protect lives during disasters such as cyclones, storm surges and floods and increase accessibility to shelters, and users will consider CSs as a social asset. In turn, the acceptability of CSs into community level are expected to be increased for combating against cyclones, storm surges, and floods. Originality/value This study introduces the bottom-up approach that refers to the community-based decision-making to identify the limitations and sustainable improvement of CSs. This research contributes to bridging the gaps between decision-makers and users of CSs. From the authors’ field experience, it can be said that this is the first fieldwork regarding the objectives.

Sustainable management of coastal critical infrastructure: case study of multi-purpose cyclone shelters in South Asia

“…This leads to educated and informed communities which help in reducing the impact of cyclonic hazards. Importance of training in cyclone preparedness Regular training and workshops for community members, disaster response teams members and for the cyclone shelter management and maintenance committee members should be carried out in search and rescue, first aid, early warning and communication from specialized groups/trainers as a part of community preparedness. Special focus on vulnerable section of society such as women, children, old age and person with disabilities should be given during the training programs to reduce the chances of casualties during an event of emergency (Shahin et al , 2020). Importance of awareness measures for cyclone preparedness Awareness programs on different hoisted signals used during cyclone emergency with the help of advertisements, hoardings, booklets, leaflets, banners, shake-table, demonstration, folk dancing and music, street play, exhibition and audio-visual IEC materials help in timely evacuation of vulnerable communities from coastal areas.…”

“…Regular training and workshops for community members, disaster response teams members and for the cyclone shelter management and maintenance committee members should be carried out in search and rescue, first aid, early warning and communication from specialized groups/trainers as a part of community preparedness. Special focus on vulnerable section of society such as women, children, old age and person with disabilities should be given during the training programs to reduce the chances of casualties during an event of emergency (Shahin et al , 2020).…”

Disaster Resilient Rescue of Coastal Community on Cyclone Warning

“…As a part of preparedness, GoB, NGOs and development partners constructed more than 2500 MPCSs in 19 coastal districts of Bangladesh including the study area Barguna [7,8]. Few shelters have been extended with the killas as a shelter for livestock.…”

“…The capacity of MPCSs varies from 400 to 1600 people [8]. Sometimes small capacity and inadequate facilities for women discourage the people to be evacuated there.…”