Humanitarian Aid: Support to cyclone Mahasen affected people

After the immediate effect of the cyclone, HOPE’87-Bangladesh assigned its Humanitarian Aid Officer to conduct a needs assessment in 16 villages in order to examine the current socio-economic situation of the population affected by the tidal surge of Cyclone Mahasen. They found that the cyclone heavily affected the agricultural sector, followed by livestock production. There was not enough money to buy agricultural products and neither cash nor employment opportunities for the local population. Overall, 70% of the thatched houses were completely damaged in the assessment areas leaving a lot of people without shelter. Moreover, water supply and sanitation facilities were destroyed by the tidal surge and heavy rain. Thus, there was reduced access to safe drinking water and the use of open and unprotected sources of water for drinking increased.

On the basis of these findings, HOPE’87-Bangladesh implemented several activities with financial support of the Foundation UNESCO. As food distribution by local authorities could not cover all affected people, HOPE’87 contributed to the food distribution for 200 families by issuing food packages. Moreover, HOPE’87-Bangladesh provided housing for people affected by the cyclone Mahasen to protect them and their belongings from heavy rains during monsoon time. Thus, ten fully damaged shelters were reconstructed for ten affected families. A fully damaged school was also rebuilt so that 80 students could continue their studies. This approach of linking relief, rehabilitation and development is core to HOPE’87’s operational structure and was also the guiding principle for the relief and rehabilitation activities in the aftermath of Cyclone Mahasen.

Project Background:

Cyclone “Mahasen” hit the south-eastern coast of Bangladesh on the morning of the 16^th May 2013. The storm arrived as a category-1 tropical cyclone with peak wind speeds of 100 km/h leading to severe damage of shelters of poor farmers and fishermen, educational institutions, cropland and water logging. While the majority of families has returned to their former housings, the disaster has impacted the residents’ livelihoods, water and sanitation facilities, and damaged or destroyed their houses.