Cyclone Sidr Update

November 28, 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 Wednesday (November 28) 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 8.5 million people (1.9 million families). GoB casualty estimates range from 3,256 to 3,447 deaths. On Wednesday, the Ministry of Food and Disaster Management’s Information Center (DMIC) that 880 people were still missing and 39,756 were injured in the storm. 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 1,271 people reported dead there. Sidr had dissipated by late 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 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. So far the GoB has reportedly 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), the US (US$14.1 million), Japan (US$14 million), United Kingdom (US$10.2 million) and the European Commission (US$9.5 million). As of Tuesday (November 27), OCHA reports that the total amount of received contributions and pledges is US$122,108,986. (OCHA, Nov. 25) The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) appealed on Tuesday for US$22.3 million to provide long-term support for cyclone victims. (Reuters, Nov. 27)

The US military continues to assist the AFD in distributing relief goods, including drinking water, to remote locations. The USS Kearsarge is anchored off of Chittagong port and additional US ships are expected in coming days.

The head of Bangladesh’s caretaker government, Chief Adviser Fakhruddin Ahmed, visited cyclone-affected areas, including Bagerhat district, on Tuesday (November 27) and said that the government would carry out relief and rehabilitation work as long as needed. Ahmed announced that the government had decided to allocate US$13.1 million (900 million taka) – up from the previous commitment of US$7.3 million - to assisting victims of Cyclone Sidr. He also said the government planned to set up multipurpose cyclone centers to protect the coastal region from disasters and minimize future loss of life and property due to cyclones. (The Daily Star, Nov. 28)

 

The GoB has told donors that it needs at least 500,000 tons of food aid to make up for the food shortage caused by the cyclone and this year’s devastating monsoon flood season. (Reuters, Nov. 27) The shortage is expected to last through March or April 2008, but should improve in May, when the Boro rice harvest begins. Donors are asked to procure food donations from the international market in order to avert a further shortage in the domestic market. Food Ministry sources say the government will need a total of at least 1.1 million metric tons (MT) of food for its relief programs over the next seven months. The GoB currently has a food grain stock of 737,000 MT, of which 200,000 has been allocated for immediate release to cyclone-affected areas. (The Daily Star, Nov. 28)

 

On Wednesday the Bangladesh Power Division asked the Finance Ministry for about US$1 million (70 million taka) to repair damage to power installations around the country. Power was knocked out around the country following the storm, as the National Power Grid failed. It has been restored in most areas. (Xinhua, Nov. 28) Most of the requested money would be used to support the Rural Electrification Board, which said Wednesday that it had yet to restore power in nine districts of Barisal division, where Sidr damaged 12,427 miles out of 15,534 miles of power lines (20,000 of 25,000 km of power lines). (The New Nation, Nov. 28)

 

Despite discrepancy in their statistics, UNOCHA and the WHO are both reporting that diarrhea outbreaks remain a big concern. While UNOCHA reported just over 300 cases of diarrhea as of Wednesday, a joint WHO-Bangladeshi Department of Health public health update issued Tuesday said more than 1,000 people suffering from diarrhea had been seen by medical teams in the past four days. Officials say the situation is manageable because they have sufficient supplies of re-hydration saline, intravenous fluids, water purifying tables and antibiotics, but it is vital that families be given storage devices to hold the safe drinking water the AFD and US military are transporting to them.

 

The UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) announced Wednesday that it will send a mission of experts to Bangladesh next week to assess how to help local authorities preserve the country’s heritage in the wake of Cyclone Sidr. The experts will largely focus on the 345,948-acre (140,000 hectare) Sundarbans mangrove forest, which UNESCO added to its World Heritage List in 1997. Many endangered species, including the Bengal tiger, live in the forest. (UN News, Nov. 28)

 

The Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported that several hundred cyclone survivors in Barguna district held a demonstration Wednesday to demand more relief items, saying they had not received sufficient aid. (AFP, Nov. 28)

 

 

Impact

 

GoB death toll numbers remained largely unchanged Wednesday. While the GoB’s Disaster Management Information Center (DMIC) reported an official death toll of 3,256, 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) The DMIC says 880 people are still missing and 39,756 were injured in the storm. (DMIC, Nov. 28)

 

DMIC says the storm affected a total of 8,469,849 people, including 1,921,087 families, and damaged or destroyed 1,425,024 houses. (DMIC, Nov. 27) Between 60 and 70 percent of homes were destroyed in Barguna, Patuakhali, Jhalakathi and Bagerhat districts (The New Nation, Nov. 18). UNICEF says 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)

 

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) According to the DMIC, at least 1,271 people were killed in Barguna district and at least 769 died in Bagerhat. (DMIC, Nov. 28)

 

More than 8,000 educational institutions were fully destroyed by Sidr and the accompanying storm surge. (The Daily Star, Nov. 22) In Barisal division alone, 483 primary schools were destroyed – 129 of them in Barguna district – and 2,777 were damaged, according to the primary education office in Barisal. (The New Nation, Nov. 28) 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)

 

UN OCHA reported Wednesday that diarrhea outbreaks remain a major concern. While OCHA says there have been just over 300 cases of diarrhea reported, a report from the WHO Tuesday said more than 1,000 people in the nine worst-affected districts have seen medical teams because of diarrhea in the past four days. The situation is thought to be manageable, officials say, because they have sufficient supplies of re-hydration saline, intravenous fluids, water purifying tables and antibiotics, but it is vital that families be given storage devices to hold the safe drinking water the AFD is and US military are transporting to them. IRIN quoted Mohammad Abdul Baset, health director of Barisal division, as saying, “Waterborne diseases like diarrhea, typhoid, dysentery and acute respiratory tract infections like pneumonia are common after natural disasters like floods and cyclones.” He said children are more susceptible to diarrheal illness than adults. (IRIN, Nov. 28) 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) 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)

 

A public health report released Tuesday by the Bangladeshi Department of Health and the World Health Organization (WHO) says that in the last four days, medical teams have seen 1,087 people for diarrhea - one of whom died, 492 for respiratory infections or pneumonia, 373 for skin diseases, 15 for eye infections and 979 for typhoid/fever. Most of those reports come from Bagerhat, Patuakhali and Barguna districts. (WHO, Nov. 27) 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)

 

Reuters reports that in many areas, 95 percent of rice crops that are usually harvested in December were badly damaged. 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 more than 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) The ADB has said that Bangladesh already suffered US$1.4 billion in losses from this year’s monsoon flood season. (The New Nation, Nov. 28)

 

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. There has been no update on progress with communication lines. As of November 28, the Rural Electrification Board had not yet been able to restore power in most of Barisal division, where Sidr damaged 12,427 miles out of 15,534 miles of power line (20,000 of 25,000 km of power lines). (The New Nation, Nov. 28) 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

 

The head of Bangladesh’s caretaker government, Chief Adviser Fakhruddin Ahmed, visited cyclone-affected areas, including Bagerhat district, on Tuesday and said that the GoB would carry out relief and rehabilitation work as long as needed. Ahmed announced that the government had decided to allocate US$13.1 million (900 million taka) to assisting victims of Cyclone Sidr. He also said the government planned to set up multi-purpose cyclone centers to protect the coastal region from disasters and minimize future loss of life and property due to cyclones. (The Daily Star, Nov. 28)

 

As of Tuesday, the GoB had allocated about US$7.3 million through its Relief and Welfare Fund for Sidr victims. (DMIC, Nov. 27) 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 GoB has also allocated a special fund of US$5.2 million (350 million BDT) for long-term housing construction. The Armed Forces Division (AFD) continues to transport relief items to the affected areas by plane, helicopters and boats. (Reuters, Nov. 25)

 

On Wednesday, with the help of US aircraft, the AFD flew 19 sorties, delivering 264.3 tons of relief items. Twelve helicopter missions delivered 32 tons, six AN-32/C-130 missions delivered 30.3 tons and one LCT mission delivered 200 tons. As of November 28, the AFD has carried 1,277 tons of relief items by 186 sorties. (DMIC, Nov. 28) The BAF has only 13 helicopters and aircraft.

 

On Wednesday, the Bangladesh Power Division asked the Finance Ministry for about US$1 million (70 million taka) to repair damage to power installations around the country. (Xinhua, Nov. 28) The Rural Electrification Board says it has yet to restore power to nine districts in Barisal division, where 12,427 miles out of 15,534 miles of power line (20,000 of 25,000 km of power lines) were damaged. (The New Nation, Nov. 28) It is not yet known whether the Power Division’s proposal was accepted.

 

The AFD has established three relief receiving cells at the Directorate of Relief and Rehabilitation, Dhaka Zila Parishad and the Regional Public Administration Center. (DMIC, Nov. 28)

 

The Disaster Emergency Response (DER), composed of UN, NGO and GoB officials, has established six relief clusters and appointed agencies to lead each: food (WFP), logistics (WFP), water and sanitation (UNICEF), emergency shelter (IFRC), health (WHO), and early recovery (UN Development Program or UNDP). GoB focal points will be appointed for each cluster. (OCHA, Nov. 23) For further information regarding clusters, please see LCG Disaster Emergency Response – Cyclone Updates Website: www.lcgbangladesh.org/derweb/cyclone_updates.php

 

The GoB called for international aid on November 20, 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 500,000 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. Donors are asked to procure food donations from the international market in order to avert a further shortage in the domestic market. (The Daily Star, Nov. 28) 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. Food Ministry sources say the government needs at least 1.1 million MT of food in total for its relief programs over the next several months. The GoB currently has a food grain stock of 737,000 MT, of which 200,000 are being immediately released to cyclone-affected areas. (The Daily Star, Nov. 28)

 

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)

 

On November 22, 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)

 

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 have been restored. Land-phone connections in nine districts were still disconnected as of November 22 because of the electricity problems and the collapse of a tower. All land-phone connections were supposed to have been restored by November 27, but there was no update available. All affected government offices have been supplied with connected cell phones. (The Daily Star, Nov. 22)

 

Bangladesh’s Army Chief, Gen. Moeen U Ahmed, has assured all possible help from the GoB and announced November 20 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)

 

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 for having saved many lives.

 

 

National Response

 

The Bangladeshi Rural Advancement Committee (BRAC) has more than 2,500 staff engaged in relief efforts, which include the distribution of 81,570 food packages to more than 400,000 cyclone victims in 11 districts. (OCHA, Nov. 27) The packages include 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 is also treating contaminated ponds – the typical drinking water source in Bangladesh. The agency is also fixing about four damaged pond sand filters a day. (BRAC, Nov. 22) BRAC has 13 medical teams working in affected regions, including 116 total team members. As of Sunday (November 25), they had served 29,223 patients since they began field work on November 17. (DMIC, Nov. 27) About 150,000 homes belonging to BRAC borrowers were destroyed by Sidr and 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 (BRCS), with assistance from the IFRC, has deployed four assessment teams and 12 mobile health teams. Last week, BRCS appealed for about US$5.7 million in international assistance. (Xinhua, Nov. 26) At least 42,000 BRCS volunteers were said to be working in coastal areas as of Sunday. (Xinhua, Nov. 18) According to DMIC, BRCS 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) and together the IFRC and BRCS have provided family packs of non-food items and 55 MT of food relief to 64,000 families in 15 of the most affected districts and distributed 42,000 water purification tablets in four districts. (OCHA, Nov. 25)

 

Shushilan, a local organization working in two districts, has distributed kits to 25,000 families. It has also distributed molasses and rice. (WFP, Nov. 27)

 

Proshika is working in nine districts in southern Bangladesh through two hubs in Jhalokati and Tashika districts. The organization has a medical team and livestock recovery workers in the areas and has installed six water treatment plants. It has prepared a proposal for a work plan in the major areas of health, water and sanitation, food, shelter and livestock recovery. (WFP, Nov. 27)

 

 

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)

 

The GoB said Tuesday that it is seeking five lakh (500,000) metric tons (MT) of rice from the international community as assistance to keep a minimum food stock of one million tons. The GoB is requesting the rice be purchased outside Bangladesh so that it does not affect the local market. So far, the WFP has promised 71,000 MT, India 50,000 (MT) and the US promised 25,000 MT. (Daily Star, Nov. 28)

 

United Nations

 

UN Resident Coordinator in Bangladesh Renata Lok Dessallien said that Bangladesh should do emergency work in six sectors—immediate food supply, pure water, sanitation, rehabilitation, security and health. (New Nation, Nov. 28)

 

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)

 

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)

 

According to UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), a UN Disaster Assessment and Coordination (UNDAC) team has been stood down as the Government of Bangladesh (GoB) and UN Country teams and agencies are able to manage the disaster. (OCHA, Nov. 16)

 

Coordinated by the Disaster and Emergency Response (DER) group, a Joint UN Rapid Assessment Team comprised of 12 experts left Dhaka November 17 to assess affected areas that had not yet been covered. The team was made up of WHO, WFP, UNICEF and UNDP. (UNOCHA, Nov. 17) The DER, comprised of UN, GoB, and NGOs, has determined that dry food, water purification tablets and medicines have been identified as the most urgent needs. (UNICEF, Nov. 16)

 

OCHA Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific and two rapid Disaster Response Advisers are being deployed to assist the UN Country Team (UNCT) on the ground. (OCHA, Nov. 16)

 

The UN Development Program (UNDP) has pledged US$7 million in relief grants to Bangladesh. (The Daily Star, Nov. 19) UNDP plans to provide 5 kilograms of flattened rice and 1 kilogram of molasses per family for some 70,000 families in the districts of Patuakhali, Bagerhat, Borguna, Perojpur, Barisal, Jhalokathi, Satkhira, Khulna, Bhola, Noakhali, Chandpu and Madaripur through its partner organizations that include South Asian Partnership, Sushilan, Dhaka Ahsania Mission, Resource Integration Center, Prodipan, Bangladesh National Scouts, Rural Reconstruction Foundation, Village Education and Resource Center, Dip Unnayan Shanstha, Islamic relief and Shariatpur Development Society. UNDP also plans to provide 240,000 packets of water purification powder or one week supply for each family through Bangladesh National Scouts (BNS) in affected areas. About 18,000 sheets of tripol will also be distributed through BNS of which some 4,000 sheets will be ready for distribution in 48-72 hours. (DMIC, Nov-18)

 

UNICEF will support the national response in the areas of water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH), nutrition, education, child protection, education and the provision of non-food items. Six clusters have been put in place by the UN Country Team (UNCT) in the areas of food, WASH, health, emergency shelter, logistics and early recovery. UNICEF is taking the lead in the WASH cluster. Beyond clusters it is facilitating sectoral coordination among the development partners and the NGOs in four other areas: nutrition, education, protection - together with Save the Children - and emergency telecommunications. These clusters and sectoral coordination groups are engaged in identifying critical immediate needs and planning the coordinated responses as outlined below. UNICEF is going to channel non-food assistance such as blankets and tarpaulins through the government relief distribution system, which already has developed an effective mechanism for reaching people. UNICEF recognizes the need for continuing support to the affected population for the next five to six months until the harvests begin in the summer. (UNICEF, Nov. 28) UNICEF is procuring blended food for children in affected districts for a period of three months. (OCHA, Nov. 27) UNICEF is mobilizing US$20 million in aid (money and material). UNICEF has also received US$2.7 million from the CERF. Several dono