Cyclone Sidr Update

November 26, 2007

 

 

Note: New content has been inserted in red, italicized, bold font.

 

Current Status

 

The Government of Bangladesh (GoB) and media sources reported no significant change Monday (November 26) in the death toll from Tropical Cyclone Sidr, which struck the southern coast of Bangladesh as a category four (five is the highest) storm at 20:30 local time on November 15 and affected some 7 million people (1.7 million families). GoB casualty estimates range from 3,243 to 3,447 deaths. On Wednesday (November 21), Bangladeshi military chief Gen. Moeen Ahmad estimated that the number of people killed would total around 5,000, while the Bangladeshi Red Crescent Society has said it could go as high as 10,000. As of Friday (November 23), around 1,800 people, many of them fishermen who had been on boats in the Bay of Bengal, were still missing and the GoB estimated more than 34,000 people have been injured. Originating in the Bay of Bengal, Sidr struck the southwestern coast of Bangladesh on November 15, packing winds between 87 and 103 mph (140 and 165 kph). The Bangladeshi Meteorological Department reported that Sidr had a radius of 311 miles (500 km) with the eye of the storm having winds between 137 and 150 mph (220 and 240 kph). Areas along the coast and small offshore islands received the brunt of the storm, which struck in 15 districts from Cox’s Bazar in the country’s extreme southeast to Satkira district on the western border with India. Worst hit were the first-hit areas of Khulna and Barisal divisions, which sustained storm surges measuring 15 feet (six meters) in height. Barguna district was the hardest hit, with 1,269 people reported dead there. Sidr had dissipated by late Friday (November 16), although heavy rains continued across Bangladesh and northeastern India for several days. The Bangladeshi Armed Forces Division (AFD) has estimated that Cyclone Sidr cost US$2.31 billion in economic losses, including infrastructure, schools, crops and livestock. (Xinhua, Nov. 26) Sidr was the strongest cyclone to hit Bangladesh since a 1991 storm killed some 143,000 people in the country.

The GoB officially requested international aid on Tuesday (November 20), saying that the AFD, which is coordinating the relief effort, had not yet been able to distribute aid to about 30 percent of hard-hit coastal areas. According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), a UN Disaster Assessment and Coordination (UNDAC) team remains stood down. The UN Integrated Regional Information Networks (IRIN) reported on Monday that the GoB has received pledges of more than US$500 million in international aid, including up to US$250 million from the World Bank. (AP, Nov. 26) In total, the UN has pledged some US$35 million. The UN’s Central Emergency Relief Fund (CERF) has contributed about US$15 million. Among the foreign governments offering the largest donations so far are Saudi Arabia (US$100 million), United Kingdom (US$10.2 million, including an addition $5.1 million pledged Friday), Japan (US$14 million) the European Commission (US$9.5 million), Canada (US$3.4 million), Australia (US$2.7 million) and Kuwait (US$2.3 million). The US Agency for International Development (USAID) has so far released about US$2.3 million. (Reuters, Nov. 22) As of Saturday (Nov. 24) OCHA reports that the total amount of received contributions and pledges is US$122,108,986. (OCHA, Nov. 25)

The AFD is using aircraft to carry relief goods to local administrations in communities in remote locations. US military operations, which were approved Thursday (November 22), continued Monday with helicopter missions and a C-130 aircraft delivering needed drinking water to the cities of Dublarchar, Patharghata, Galachipa, Kalapara and Sharankhola. US Marines are planning to install five water tanks in five places to supply pure drinking water to local residents. (DMIC, Nov. 26) A medical team from the USS Kearsarge set up a unit in Barisal town on the southern coast where survivors who require urgent attention will be airlifted from remote areas to receive more extensive care. Ninety-two helipads have been built in coastal villages so that US and Bangladeshi military aircraft can access hard-hit areas. US and Bangladeshi AFD officials held a coordination meeting Monday and agreed to increase delivery of aid to remote areas. “If we can utilize the huge capabilities of the US ships, we can successfully conduct a useful relief operation for the survivors,” Reuters quoted Bangladesh army chief Gen. Moeen U. Ahmed as saying Monday. (Reuters, Nov. 26) The US will assist in airlifting 160 tons of goods from the GoB over the next few days. (The New Nation, Nov. 27) The USS Essex and the USS Tarawa were also due to arrive soon, US Navy spokesperson Lt. Commander John Daniels said from Washington. (AFP, Nov. 25)

 

According to a report released Friday, the World Health Organization (WHO) teams have assessed loss of lives, houses, infrastructure and health assets, including medicine supplies and stocks. The teams have expressed concerns about the continuing likelihood of disease outbreaks. The WHO assessment found that the priority list for supply replenishment includes emergency medicines (ORS, WPT, IV Saline, antibiotics, antipyretics, antihistamines and tropical ointments) and safe water. Raincoats, umbrellas, life jackets, search lights and speed boats are also needed to enhance local health teams’ capacity to assist in rescue and evacuation operations and give emergency aid. Psychological support is also needed for the affected populations. The report says that WHO has already re-supplied emergency life-saving medicine stocks worth US$74,000.

 

Lt.-Gen. Masud Uddin Chowdhury, principal staff officer of the Bangladesh armed forces, criticized the management of relief efforts on Sunday (November 25). He said poor coordination between relief agencies is affecting distribution of relief supplies. “It has been reported that cyclone victims in some areas got large quantities of relief and sold off the excess materials,” IRIN quoted him as saying. At the same time, Chowdhury said, some areas had hardly received any relief materials at all. Other Bangladeshi army officials said some NGO and government staff seemed to “lack the drive and motivation to take the stress involved in distributing relief to the desperate people.” (IRIN, Nov. 26) But other relief-effort leaders have applauded the cooperation and success of aid operations. “We have overcome the immediate crisis following the cyclone,” the Agence France-Presse (AFP) quoted Syed Rafiq, a project officer with the NGO CARE, as saying. “There has been good coordination between all the different organizations. We responded quickly and we were able to get hold of enough manpower and materials.”

 

The GoB has told donors that it needs at least 200,000 metric tons of food grains in assistance to make up for a cyclone-caused national food shortage that is expected to last through March or April 2008. The food situation is expected to improve in May, when the Boro rice harvest begins. The GoB has said it will create a Finance Ministry soft-credit fund of US$19 million (1.3 billion taka) from which it will make loans to small traders, fishermen and farmers affected by Sidr. (The Daily Star, Nov. 26)

 

A shortage of clean drinking water was one of the main problems confronting survivors, relief workers say, along with the risk of outbreaks of water-borne disease. Worst-affected are the hard-hit coastal areas where drinking water supplied by surface water had been contaminated by saline water. (AFP, Nov. 25)

 

At a November 22 meeting of the Disaster Emergency Response (DER) group, composed of UN, NGO and GoB officials, participants discussed initial needs assessments and agreed on short- and long-term recovery goals. The DER has established six relief clusters and appointed agencies to lead each: food (UN World Food Program or WFP), logistics (WFP), water and sanitation (UN Children’s Fund or UNICEF), emergency shelter (International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies or IFRC), health (WHO), and early recovery (UN Development Program or UNDP). GoB focal points will be appointed for each cluster. (OCHA, Nov. 23)

 

The UN’s Rapid Initial Assessment Report, released November 22, said about 4.7 million people were affected in the worst-affected districts of Barisal, Bhola, Patuakhali, Barguna, Jhalakathi, Pirojpur, Bagerhat, Khulna and Satkhira. Of those, an estimated 2.1 million need immediate life-saving food assistance. Food, shelter and cash were found to be the three highest priority areas for assistance. Sanitation, drinking water, medical supplies and communications and transportation restoration are listed as other high-priority needs in descending order. (UN, Nov. 22)

 

A section of a bridge collapsed Saturday (Nov. 24) as thousands of hungry cyclone victims stampeded toward aid workers who were delivering rice in the subdistrict of Kalapara in hard-hit Patuakhali district. Food was reportedly being distributed by a private cement company, which did not control the crowd as it approached or alerted officials to its plans, GoB officials said. At least one person died and more than 100 were reportedly injured. At least another two are reported to be missing. Rescuers are continuing to look for survivors. (AP, AFP, Nov. 24, Nov. 25)

 

Although power was knocked out around the country by the storm, it is expected to be fully restored by November 30. All land phone connections should be restored by November 27, too, according to the GoB. (The Daily Star, Nov. 22)

 

 

Impact

 

GoB death toll numbers remained largely unchanged Monday. While the GoB’s Disaster Management Information Center (DMIC) reported an official death toll of 3,243, media have widely reported that government officials have estimated around 3,447 deaths. On November 23, Bangladeshi military chief Gen. Moeen Ahmad estimated that the number of people killed would total around 5,000. Bangladeshi Red Crescent Society officials have said the death toll could reach 10,000. (CNN, Nov. 21) In its Friday situation report, the DMIC reported that 34,511 people had been injured in the storm and 1,828 were still missing. (DMIC, Nov. 23)

 

The worst-hit districts included Barguna, Patuakhali, Jhalakathi and Bagerhat, where 60 to 70 percent of homes were destroyed. According to the DMIC, at least 1,269 people were killed in Barguna district and at least 763 died in Bagerhat. (DMIC, Nov. 26) Other hardest affected districts were Pirojpur, Barisal, Bhola, Madaripur, Sariatpur, Gopalganj, Khulna and Satkhira. (The New Nation, Nov. 18)

 

DMIC says the storm affected a total of 7,054,459 people, including 1,655,876 families, and damaged or destroyed 1,248,482 houses. (DMIC, Nov. 26) UNICEF said Wednesday that nearly half of those affected by the disaster were children and about 400,000 of them were under the age of five. (The New Nation, Nov. 21) The GoB estimates that around 280,000 have been left homeless. (AFP, Nov. 23)

 

According to the local Daily Star newspaper, leading national economists from the think-tank, the Center for Policy Dialogue (CPD), estimates that Sidr caused property losses of 65 billion taka (US$929 million). (Xinhua, Nov. 25)

 

More than 8,000 educational institutions were fully destroyed by Sidr and the accompanying storm surge. (The Daily Star, Nov. 22) UNICEF said Friday that an estimated 1 million primary school-age children were affected by Sidr and of them, 600,000 are currently not in class because of the widespread damage to school buildings. Some remaining school buildings have been turned into urgently needed emergency shelters for families who lost their homes. (UNICEF, Nov. 24)

 

A Bangladeshi Department of Health Control Room (DHCR) assessment of eight districts released Monday shows incidents of diarrhea, skin disease, eye infections and fever or typhoid. So far 210 people have seen medical staff for diarrhea, 148 of them in worst-hit Bagerhat. No deaths have been officially recorded. Fifty-six cases of skin disease have been reported, along with 40 eye infections and 614 cases of fever/Typhoid, according to the report. All of these cases are being recorded in Khulna, Satkhira and Bagerhat districts. (DMIC, Nov. 26) A report from the UN’s WHO Bangladesh office released Friday said 1,189 medical teams had been deployed, along with 599 doctors. (WHO, Nov. 23)

 

Two deaths from severe diarrhea were unofficially reported in worst-hit Patuakhali district on November 20, raising fears of an outbreak. The two victims were children. The Bangladeshi Health Ministry has opened a special desk to monitor storm-caused diarrhea outbreaks. The Ministry has a stock of medicines for diarrhea, but is having trouble distributing them because of the difficulty accessing remote areas. (AP, Nov. 21) Outbreaks commonly occur when water is contaminated with diarrhea-causing bacteria following floods and cyclones. Barisal Divisional Health Director Mohammad Abdul Baset has said that an acute diarrhea outbreak could occur at any time. (The Daily Star, Nov. 21) Water sources have become contaminated as corpses of cyclone victims, cattle and wild animals float in rivers and canals. Tube wells in most areas have been twisted by the cyclone, as well, according to WHO. (The New Nation, Nov. 22)

 

Reuters reports that in many areas, 95 percent of rice crops were badly damaged. Rice crops are usually harvested in December. Hundreds of shrimp farms have also reportedly washed away. A Bangladeshi Agriculture Ministry assessment says that 1 million metric tons of Amon (Aman) rice production may have been lost, as well as standing crops in an area of 2 million acres (800,000 hectares). About 524,000 livestock have been reported dead so far. (DMIC, Nov. 26) About 334 miles (538 km) of road have been heavily damaged and 54,648 miles (87,948 km) partly damaged. Around 1,654 bridges and culverts were damaged. (Daily Star, Nov. 21) The extensive damage to infrastructure and crops will cause widespread problems in the future as it has wiped out the source of so many people’s livelihoods. (The New Nation, Nov. 21) The cyclone caused at least US$4 million in damage to Bangladesh’s important fishing industry and an estimated US$35.7 million to the shrimp industry. (Xinhua, Nov. 23)

 

The AFD has estimated that Cyclone Sidr cost US$2.31 billion in economic losses, including infrastructure, schools, crops and livestock. (Xinhua, Nov. 26) According to the local Daily Star newspaper, leading national economists from the think-tank, the Center for Policy Dialogue (CPD), estimates that Sidr caused property losses of 65 billion taka (US$929 million). Economists from the CPD say that the figure is sure to increase once the final figures are tallied and that the country will lag behind for years because of the disaster. Based on data available from the Ministry of Food and Disaster Management as of Nov. 21, CPD calculated the loss of paddy at 3500 billion taka (about US$500 million), roads and bridges at 11 billion taka (about US$157 million), houses at 7.5 billion taka (about US$107 million), and trees at 5 billion taka (about US$71.4 million). The CPD says that Sidr affected more than 40 million people, with 10 million who live in the coastal zone being directly affected. The world’s largest mangrove forest in the southwestern Sundarbands will take at least 40 years to recover, the CPD said. (Xinhua, Nov. 25)

 

Although the storm and the subsequent surge cut off power, phone communication and roadways around the country, including parts of Dhaka, the GoB said November 22 that road communications had been nearly fully restored, power should be restored nationwide by November 30 and land phone communications should be fixed by November 27. All affected government offices have been supplied with connected cell phones. (The Daily Star, Nov. 22)

 

Although an estimated 5 million people live in the most vulnerable areas of coastal Bangladesh, the government estimated that up to 3.2 million were evacuated before the storm, at least 620,000 to official cyclone shelters. More than 40,000 Bangladeshi policemen, soldiers, coastguards and health care workers were deployed along the coast Thursday, according to the BBC.

 

Background

 

Storms kill hundreds of people in coastal Bangladesh every year, but occasional severe cyclones kill hundreds of thousands. A cyclone and its subsequent tidal surge in 1991 killed nearly 140,000 and destroyed thousands of homes, and a 1970 storm killed about a half a million people. The most deadly recent storm to hit Bangladesh was a tornado that leveled 80 villages and killed 621 people in the country’s north in 1996.

 

International assistance was requested following tropical cyclone Marian (also unofficially known as Cyclone Gorky), which hit the Chittagong district of southeastern Bangladesh on April 29, 1991 with winds of 155 mph, killing more than 138,000 people. The storm caused an estimated $1.5 billion (1991 US dollars) in damage. Crops were destroyed and agricultural fields were flooded with ocean water, contaminating the soil and drinking water. In response, the United States military provided immediate practical assistance in emergency and short-term recovery operations by establishing a Contingency Joint Task Force and launching Operation Sea Angel. These efforts were credited with saving as many as 200,000 lives.

 

 

Country Profile

 

Bangladesh, with an estimated population of 140 million, is one of the most disaster prone countries in the world due to its geographical location. With its economy heavily dependent on agriculture, the frequency of natural disasters such as floods, cyclones and accompanying storm surges, river-bank erosion, and drought, has hindered economic growth and poverty alleviation, thereby exacerbating the population’s vulnerability to risk. Divided into three zones of hills, terraces and a large flood plain, Bangladesh’s geography is uniquely low-lying because its coastal line forms part of the basins of three major rivers, the Padma (Ganges), Brahmaputra and Meghna.

 

Due to the regularity of major floods and cyclones, which hit the country on an annual basis, Bangladesh has in place a well-established and organized national disaster response structure integrating international aid organizations and on occasion foreign militaries.

 

Bangladesh’s traditional disaster management model focusing on disaster relief and recovery has evolved into a more holistic approach embracing the processes of hazard identification and mitigation, community preparedness, and integrated response efforts. As such, the Ministry of Relief and Rehabilitation was renamed to the Ministry of Food and Disaster Management (MoFDM) in 2003.

 

The Disaster Management Bureau (DMB) was created in 1992 to serve as a technical arm to the MoFDM, overseeing and coordinating all disaster management activities from the national to the grassroots level and maintaining liaison with government agencies, donors, and NGOs to ensure cooperation and coordination.

 

Although Bangladesh continues to strengthen its own capacity to handle wide-scale natural disasters, there will likely be future disasters where international humanitarian assistance is again requested. In Bangladesh and elsewhere, US interests would be well-served by an effective response to disasters. US military expertise and resources could be utilized not only to save lives, but also to possible prevent destabilization. While there has been considerable debate regarding the appropriateness of expanding the role of the US military vis-à-vis non-combat operations, the US military has a long history of humanitarian response and offers considerable assets to the humanitarian community. Coordination, however, between the military and non-governmental humanitarian community continues to be an area where improvement is needed.

 

 

Government Response

 

As of Monday, the GoB has allocated about US$7.1 million through its Relief and Welfare Fund for Sidr victims. In addition, it has allocated 10,890 metric tons of rice, distributed 27,000 food bags, 26,700 blankets, about 16,454 tents, 3,348 utensils and 13,000 bundles of corrugated iron sheeting. (DMIC, Nov. 26) The Armed Forces Division (AFD) continues to transport relief items to the affected areas by plane, helicopters and boats. An estimated 400 tons of relief goods was distributed by the Bangladesh Air Force to date. (OCHA, Nov. 25) The Bangladesh air force has only some 13 helicopters and aircraft to fly in relief sorties. (Reuters, Nov. 25) The GoB has also allocated a special fund of US$5.2 million (350 million BDT) for long-term housing construction.

 

On Monday, the AFD sent 22 missions carrying 27,893 kg of relief goods by helicopter and other aircraft to remote communities. (DMIC, Nov. 26) The missions served people in Barguna, Pirojpur, Barisal, Patuakhali, Jhalokati and Bagerhat districts.

 

The Deputy Commissioners are procuring and collecting sufficient amount of dry food to respond to the current situation. With the Bangladesh Air Force, WFP is distributing 208 tons of high-energy biscuits to assist an estimated 850,000 cyclone affected people, which is being implemented by Save the Children USA. WFP has begun the distribution of 750 metric tons of rice to the five most affected areas. The WFP Emergency Operation monthly food package ration for cyclone affected households includes 30 kg of rice, 3 kg of pulses, 2 litres of oil and 0.75 kg of high energy biscuits. UNICEF is procuring blended food for children in affected districts for a period of three months. UN partners are distributing dry food (flattened rice and molasses) to 70,000 affected families. (OCHA, Nov. 25)

 

A report from the UN’s WHO Bangladesh office released Friday said 1,189 medical teams had been deployed, along with 599 doctors. (WHO, Nov. 23). In addition to its Polio surveillance officers, WHO deployed two Emergency Health Advisors to the affected areas to assist in monitoring disease outbreak in collaboration with GoB authorities. (OCHA, Nov. 25)

 

The GoB on Tuesday (November 20) officially called for international aid, saying its army had yet to deliver aid to about 30 percent of coastal villages that were devastated by Sidr. (BBC, Nov. 20) So far GoB has received pledges of up to US$500 million in aid from foreign governments, UN agencies and NGOs. (IRIN, Nov. 26) The GoB has told donors that it needs at least 200,000 metric tons of food grains in assistance to make up for a cyclone-caused national food shortage that is expected to last through March or April 2008. The food situation is expected to improve in May, when the Boro rice harvest begins. Bangladesh was already facing a possible food deficit before Sidr hit, as a result of seasonal floods earlier this year. (The Daily Star, Nov. 26)

 

On Thursday, the DMB hosted a high-level donor coordination meeting in which the GoB’s needs and priorities were identified. Among the priorities for the next four weeks are search and rescue, burial services, updating the death toll, providing first aid, restoring emergency services, power and communications, repairing drinking water sources and supplying emergency relief. From December 2007 to March 2008, the priorities will include home-building assistance, continued food support and preventing epidemics. In the months after March 2008, the focus will be on rehabilitation of the Sundarban forest, reconstruction, building cyclone shelters, improving the early warning system and expanding the disaster information network. (DMIC, Nov. 22) The GoB announced Thursday that it will distribute access cards for Vulnerable Group Feeding programs to 2.5 million families beginning the first of December. Each cardholder will have access to 33 lbs. (15 kg) of rice per month. The program will last at least 4 months. (IRIN, AP, Nov. 22, 25) So far, the GoB has allocated 150,233 metric tons of food items and US$227,795 (15,596,331 taka) for the VGF. (DMIC, Nov. 26)

 

At the meeting, the Ministry of Food and Disaster Management announced the opening of a Cyclone SIDR Coordination Cell to be operated out of worst-affected Barisal district. The AFD, which has been coordinating the relief effort from Dhaka, will now operate out of Barisal to better be able to monitor relief and rehabilitation activities. (DMIC, Nov. 22) AFD official Lt. Commander KM Azim said at Thursday’s meeting that the Navy has established two “focal points” in Barisal and Bongla districts for smoother and more effective transportation of relief materials to remote areas. (The Daily Star, Nov. 22)

 

At the Disaster Emergency Response (DER) group meeting Thursday, relief leaders divided the response effort into six clusters and the Health Cluster, chaired by the WHO, will hold its first meeting on Sunday (November 25) in Dhaka to discuss the health situation in affected districts and try to improve the response to it as reported cases of diarrheal illness rise. (DMIC, Nov. 23) Next DER meeting will be held Tuesday (Nov. 27). For further information regarding clusters, please see LCG Disaster Emergency Response – Cyclone Updates Website: www.lcgbangladesh.org/derweb/cyclone_updates.php (OCHA, Nov. 25)

 

The DMIC hosted the first Information Management Coordination Meeting Monday with GoB, JICA, WFP, IFRC, CARE, Concern, UNDP, CEGIS, AusAID, DFID, OCHA, UNICEF, ActionAid and other NGO and UN agencies to discuss information coordination. The team will meet again Tuesday (November 27). A separate coordination of UN agencies and donors is scheduled for Tuesday, as well. (DMIC, Nov. 26)

 

The GoB’s Directorate of Relief and Rehabilitation (DRR) has sponsored two water treatment plants to be set up by the Bangladesh Army. (DMIC, Nov. 26)

 

The GoB has said it will create a Finance Ministry soft-credit fund of US$19 million (1.3 billion taka) from which it will make loans to small traders, fishermen and farmers affected by Sidr. (The Daily Star, Nov. 26)

 

Road communications to government centers of all of the cyclone-affected districts had been restored by Thursday, except in Morolganj district. The Power Division had restored power supply to 48 of the 56 affected government offices nationwide. Diesel-run generators have been sent to some worst-affected areas, including Patharghata and Shoronkhola. Power supply is anticipated to be fully restored by November 30. Land-phone connections in nine districts remained disconnected Thursday because of the electricity problems and the collapse of a tower. All land-phone connections should be restored by November 27. All affected government offices have been supplied with connected cell phones. Twenty-eight of Bangladesh’s 44 ferries were taken out of commission by the storm, but services for 13 of the ferries had been restored by Wednesday. (The Daily Star, Nov. 22)

 

Bangladesh’s Army Chief, Gen. Moeen U Ahmed, visited Sharankhola, has assured all possible help from the GoB and announced Tuesday that a floating medical hospital would be set up off the coast and each family of those killed in the cyclone would receive about US$143 (10,000 taka) and funeral assistance from the government. (Xinhua, Nov. 20) The Bangladeshi Navy and Coast Guard have begun work on rebuilding homes as they continue to help civil officials remove trees from blocked roads. (Reuters, Nov. 20) The Bangladesh Air Force has distributed an estimated 300 tons of relief goods so far. (OCHA, Nov. 23) Helicopters, planes, boats and thousands of ground troops and aid workers have been involved in the struggle to access these areas, some of which are only accessible by boat because coastal Bangladesh is a maze of waterways, creeks, islands and sandbanks. Vital relief items including tents, rice and water have been slow to reach people in those areas. The AFD has made available 12 sea-going ships, 12 helicopters and two aircrafts for rescue missions and relief operations by about 3,000 military personnel. (The New Nation, Nov. 21)

 

Early warning and preparedness systems were in place based on the initial tracking of the storm over the Bay of Bengal for seven days prior to the impact and are being credited with saving many lives.

 

 

National Response

 

The Bangladeshi Rural Advancement Committee (BRAC) says areas visited on November 20-21 include Shoronkhola and Morrelganj in Bagerhat and Khulna Division in southwest Bangladesh. BRAC is distributing food sacks with lentils, energy biscuits, matches, 200 taka (US$2.92) and 10kg of rice to each family. The whole process from 'food to field' takes 24 hours or less on average, BRAC says. BRAC wants to ensure a regular supply of drinking water within the next 2-3 days. The Army and civil administration as well as charities like Muslim Aid and the Scouts are all tackling this problem together. BRAC is focusing on mid-term solutions and treating the ponds that have become contaminated - where people normally get their drinking water from. BRAC is also fixing the damaged pond sand filters and are fixing about four each day. (BRAC, Nov. 22) BRAC is decontaminating primary sources of drinking water in the worst affected areas. (OCHA, Nov. 25) BRAC has 13 medical teams working affected regions. About 150,000 homes belonging to BRAC borrowers were destroyed by Sidr and another 270,000 borrowers have been seriously affected. BRAC has suspended these borrowers’ repayment schedules for at least two weeks. (BRAC, Nov. 26)

 

The Bangladesh Red Crescent Society, with assistance from the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), has deployed 4 assessment teams and 12 mobile health teams. Last week, the Bangladesh Red Crescent Society appealed for about US$5.7 million in international assistance. (Xinhua, Nov. 26) At least 42,000 Red Crescent Society volunteers were said to be working in coastal areas as of Sunday. (Xinhua, Nov. 18) According to DMIC, the Bangladeshi Red Crescent Society has so far distributed US$840,000 worth of relief goods, including 10,200 blankets. It has also disturbed at least US$95,587 (6.4 million Bangladesh taka) to the 18 most affected districts. IFRC allocated CHF 250,000 (US$223,000) from the Federation’s Disaster Relief Emergency Fund (DREF). (OCHA, Nov. 16) On Saturday, Red Crescent spokeswoman Nabiha Chowdhury said that water purification had become a top priority and that Red Crescent teams were equipped with resources to help people purify their water. (CNN Nov. 18) The Bangladesh Red Cross Society (BRCS) and IFRC provided 55 metric tons of food relief for 64,000 families in 15 of the most affected districts. IFRC and BRCS distributed 42,000 water purification tablets in four districts. IFRC and BRCS are distributing family packs of non-food items throughout 15 districts. (OCHA, Nov. 25)

 

 

International Response

 

According to the UN, GoB has so far received offers of more than US$500 million in international emergency aid. (IRIN, Nov. 26) According to the UNOCHA Financial Tracking System, the total amount of received contributions and confirmed pledges as of Saturday was some US$122 million. (UNOCHA, Nov. 24)

 

United Nations

 

The United Nations Emergency Relief Coordinator released a second round of Central Emergency Relief Fund (CERF) allocations in the amount of US$5.92 million for activities in heath, telecommunications, emergency shelter and non-food items on November 21, bringing the total to US$14.7 million. This is in addition to the initial CERF allocation of US$8.75 million for projects in agriculture, child protection, food, nutrition and water and sanitation disbursed on 19 November. (OCHA, Nov. 21)

 

OCHA says the UN Country Team in conjunction with the GoB has been managing the six clusters that have been formed in support of the overall response and recovery plan: 1) Food (led by the WFP), 2) Water and sanitation (UNICEF), 3) Health (WHO), 4) Shelter (IFRC), 5) Logistics (WFP), and 6) Early Recovery (UNDP). (OCHA, Nov. 23)

 

According to the UN Rapid Initial Assessment Report, food, shelter and cash are identified as the three highest priority areas for assistance. Sanitation and drinking water assistance is also badly needed. Restoration of communications and electricity are high priorities. Communications have been restored in most areas, however, the UN says that the same is not true of electricity. Transportation is also in need of support. (UN, Nov. 22)

 

The UN began procurement and distribution of 60,000 family kits, tube wells, 100,000 Jerry cans, 92 metric tons of baby food, 100,000 blankets, 60,000 family kits, 60,000 articles of children’s clothing, 50,000 plastic sheets and US$1.5 million for medicine. US$50,000 has been made available for water, supplies and transportation. More relief will be made available following initial determination of needs, which is expected on November 22. (OCHA, Nov. 21)

 

According to the DMIC, the UN published a Rapid Initial Assessment report on the nine worst-affected districts. The report is available at: http://www.cdmp.org.bd/publications/Cyclone_Sidr_UN_Rapid_Initial_Assessment_Report.pdf (DMIC, Nov. 22)

 

On November 19, UN heads of agencies visited the worst affected districts to assess the situation. They met assessment and relief teams and confirmed that relief is reaching the farthest corners of the affected area. They also noted that material damage was severe and varied between regions, nevertheless there were indications of small-scale economic recovery. (OCHA, Nov. 20)

 

A high-level joint UN Mission on November 20 visited Patuakhali, Barguna and Bagerhat - three worst cyclone-affected districts. The members of the mission were Renata Lok Dessallien, UN resident coordinator, Louis-Georges Arsenault, UNICEF representative, Douglas Broderick, WFP representative, and Dr Marc Bellemans, FAO. (New Nation, Nov. 21)

 

Medical officers have been made available to assist government response, including four for coordinating central response. US$50,000 was made available for water and supplies and transportation. More relief will be made available following initial determination of needs. (OCHA, Nov. 20)

 

The UN is distributing 208 tons of high-energy biscuits to assist an estimated 850,000 cyclone affected people. 2