Death tolls are commonly used to measure the human impact of disasters unfolding on foreign shores. To some extent they also shape the likely humanitarian response. When cyclone Sidr tore apart the deltaic south of Bangladesh two weeks ago it was the numbers that bombarded the headlines. The area had just emerged from the seasonal phenomena of Bonna (large flooding) which claimed over 1000 lives. Sidr is thought to have left at least 3500 dead and a much greater number displaced or destitute.
These figures could have been frighteningly higher. In 1991, a cyclone of similar scale and intensity killed 138,000 Bangladeshis, an astonishing toll even within a population now topping 150 million. What counted most for a large share of the population during the onset of cyclone Sidr was the actualisation of a model for disaster risk reduction. This is becoming a crucial framework for protecting lives and livelihoods in the midst of environmental disasters.
Seventy-two hours prior to landfall, the Bangladesh Government initiated a cyclone warning through its Comprehensive Disaster Management Program. Based on improved satellite imaging and meteorological modelling which pointed to the location, time and intensity of the cyclone, the government was able to relay this message through its disaster management department and the local Red Crescent. This message was then delivered to the 15 districts directly under threat.
Following this 40,000 trained volunteers, police, coastguard and health workers were mobilised to disseminate the warning to the 10 million coastal inhabitants potentially exposed to the cyclone.
Simple but well-executed diaster response procedures enabled thousands of families in remote rural areas to find refuge in purpose-built storm shelters, undoubtedly curbing what could have been another spiralling death toll during the storm surge. The widespread use of megaphones by volunteers to announce the danger was credited with saving thousands of lives alone.
This model of preparedness is crucial in a country so frequently at odds with nature. Bangladesh is perhaps the most disaster prone country on earth, with seasonal monsoons and cyclones among its most destructive phenomena. More than 200 rivers and waterways snake across the country to the turbulent Bay of Bengal. Most of the country is less than 10 metres above sea level.
The delta region, a fertile area for the agriculture and fishing-based economy, is highly susceptible to water sourced disasters. The results of these are saltwater intrusion into fresh water supplies, waterlogging, land