EMERGENCY CYCLONE RECOVERY AND RESTORATION PROJECT
Shelter from the Storm
Basic Information Š Mahfuzul Hasan Bhuiyan
Start date: 6 November 2008 End date: 31 December 2015 Total commitment: US$ 184 million Implementing agency: Ministry of Food; Ministry of Agriculture; Ministry of Local Government and Ministry of Water
Overview
Challenge
Bangladesh, due to its geographical location, is in the frontline of the battle against climate change. The country has faced over 200 natural disasters in the last 40 years with increasing frequency and intensity. Cyclone Sidr in 2007 was amongst the most devastating, affecting nine million people across 30 districts in southern Bangladesh. The Emergency Cyclone Recovery and Restoration Project (ECRRP) is helping the affected community recover from the damage caused by the Cyclone Sidr by providing support for infrastructure and agricultural livelihoods. The project is also working for better long-term disaster preparedness through building and reconstructing of cyclone shelters and embankments that will protect coastal population from future natural calamities.
In the 20 years leading up to the turn of the century, 60 percent of the 250,000 deaths worldwide arising from cyclones occurred in Bangladesh. Over time, Bangladeshis have learned to deal with this threat, so before Cyclone Sidr made land, an estimated 3 million people were evacuated to safety. Nevertheless, the category-4 storm and the accompanying tidal surge caused US$ 1.7 billion of physical damage leaving thousands without means of survival or a roof over their head. An estimated 1.5 million houses were destroyed, 1.3 million tonnes of crops were damaged and 100,000 livestock drowned. Furthermore, the increased salinity in the coastal plains, as a result of flooding, rendered it useless for growing traditional crops. Despite considerable progress by the Disaster Management Bureau (DMB), future disaster risk investments still remain low.
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