Cyclone Sidr Update

November 22, 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 Thursday (November 22) in the death toll from Tropical Cyclone Sidr, which struck coastal southwest Bangladesh as a category four (five is the highest) storm at 20:30 local time on November 15 and affected some 6.8 million people, killing at least 3,400. On Thursday, relief workers continued their struggle to distribute vital supplies – especially food – to victims in the hardest-hit districts, some of whom have not yet received any aid because the storm destroyed roadways and bridges and cut off access to many areas.

 

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. Around 2,000 people, many of them fishermen who had been on boats in the Bay of Bengal, are still missing and government agency estimates of injured persons range from 6,600 to 28,000. 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, Patuakhali, Jhalakathi and Bagerhat districts were hit the hardest, with 1,070 people reported dead in Barguna alone. Sidr had dissipated by late Friday (November 16), although heavy rains continued across Bangladesh and northeastern India for several days. 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 Bangladeshi Armed Forces Division (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. As of Thursday, the GoB had received pledges of some US$400 million worth of international emergency aid. Among the foreign governments offering the largest donations so far are Saudi Arabia (US$100 million), Great Britain (US$15 million), Japan (US$14 million) the European Commission (US$9.5 million), Canada (US$3 million), Australia (US$2.7 million) and Kuwait (US$2.3 million). The UN said Thursday it was making available a second round of emergency funding, bringing the total from its Central Emergency Relief Fund (CERF) to about US$15 million. (Reuters, Nov. 22) The US Agency for International Development (USAID) has so far released about US$2.3 million.

 

On Thursday, US participation in relief operations was approved. The 35 tons (31.8 MT) of relief materials brought by two US C-130 transport aircraft that arrived Sunday (November 18) are now being distributed and the GoB is awaiting the arrival of two US Navy ships, which will be based out of Chittagong to conduct relief operations. (Reuters, Nov. 22)

 

Aid workers said Thursday that their primary focus has become supplying enough initial food to keep people alive in all areas, as a week after the storm there are some areas that have not yet received relief supplies and food. “We are fulfilling their immediate needs to keep them alive (but) they need more food,” Agence France-Presse (AFP) quoted WFP’s Emamul Haque as saying. He added that rice would be provided later, but the immediate priority was to drop life-sustaining high-energy biscuits to as many people as possible. Ninety-five tons of biscuits have been dropped by the Bangladeshi Air Force (BAF), with another 105 tons reportedly on its way. The United Kingdom-based NGO ActionAid said Thursday that the food being distributed was not enough and that some people have not eaten in days. AFP quoted the organization’s Wahida Bashar Ahmed as saying, “It is unbelievable how people have been surviving in these conditions. If they do not get timely relief they could die or face debilitating outbreaks of disease.” (AFP, Nov. 22)

 

On Thursday, the Disaster Management Bureau 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. 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. (DMIC, Nov. 22) The Armed Forces Division (AFD), which has been coordinating the relief effort from Dhaka, will now operate out of Barisal to better monitor relief and rehabilitation activities. The GoB announced Thursday that it will distribute access cards for Vulnerable Group Feeding programs to 2.5 million families beginning December 1. (The Daily Star, Nov. 22)

 

UN resident coordinator Renata L. Dessallien said Thursday after visiting several of the worst-hit districts that Bangladesh’s response to the cyclone has been better than many developed nations. “Not many developed countries could have responded as quickly as the Bangladesh government did in facing a situation of great magnitude,” The New Nation quoted her as saying.

 

Reuters reported that the arrival of early winter cold spells and fog was worsening conditions for many of the affected who are still living out in the open. (Reuters, Nov. 22)

 

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 government. (The Daily Star, Nov. 22)

 

The UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has set up dozens of camps to care for children orphaned by the cyclone. (AFP, Nov. 22)

 

Impact

 

GoB official death toll numbers Thursday remained the same as Wednesday, ranging from 3,167, as reported by Bangladeshi Army spokesman Lt. Col. Main Ullah Chowdhury, to 3,447, as reported to media by the Disaster Management Information Center (DMIC). The death toll is expected to rise and on Wednesday 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) GoB estimates of the number of injured also varied – while OCHA reported 6,611 injured, media sources attributed the DMIC as saying more than 28,000 were injured. The Army’s Chowdhury said Wednesday that 1,724 people were missing, while OCHA reported 2,062 missing. DMIC data comes from reports from 30 districts. Most deaths and damages have been attributed to the storm surge.

 

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 1,070 people were killed in Barguna district and at least 736 died in Bagerhat. 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 6,770,456 people, including 1,572,495 families, and told media sources Wednesday that 458,804 houses were destroyed and another 665,529 were damaged. About 1.5 million coastal villagers who had not evacuated coastal areas before Thursday have now fled to shelters where they can receive emergency rations. (DMIC, Nov. 20). The UN Children’s Fund (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) More than 8,000 educational institutions were fully destroyed by Sidr and the accompanying storm surge. (The Daily Star, Nov. 22)

 

Two deaths from severe diarrhea were reported in worst-hit Patuakhali district on Tuesday, 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, but could not immediately confirm the two deaths. 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) NGO workers in many worst-hit areas have reported that hundreds of people have been affected by the disease so far, which commonly occurs when water is contaminated with diarrhea-causing bacteria following floods and cyclones. Barisal Divisional Health Director Mohammad Abdul Baset was quoted by the local Daily Star newspaper as saying Tuesday that “Diarrhea outbreak could become acute in two to four days. We assumed it inevitable after such a big disaster that destroyed so many homes and so much of the infrastructure.” (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 the World Health Organization. (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 tons of Amon rice production may have been lost, as well as standing crops in an area of 2 million acres (800,000 hectares). 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. (Xinhua, Nov. 22)

 

Although the storm and the subsequent surge cut off power, phone communication and roadways around the country, including parts of Dhaka, the GoB said Thursday 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

 

The GoB has allocated about US$7.1 million through its Relief and Welfare Fund for Sidr victims. In addition, it has allocated 7,640 metric tons of rice, distributed 27,000 food bags, 18,000 blankets, about 15,000 tents and 13,000 bundles of corrugated iron sheeting. (DMIC, Nov. 22) The Armed Forces Division, which is coordinating the relief effort, has so far distributed 323.9 tons of relief goods to the affected districts through aircraft, helicopters and naval ships. Thursday the Bangladeshi Air Force (BAF) sent 15 missions, carrying about 70 tons of relief items – mainly food – by 12 helicopter missions, two C-130 aircraft and one naval ship. (DMIC, Nov. 22) The GoB has also allocated a special fund of US$5.2 million (350 million BDT) for long-term housing construction.

 

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 it has received pledges of about US$400 million in aid from foreign governments, UN agencies and NGOs. (AP, Nov. 20)

 

On Thursday, the Disaster Management Bureau 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. (IRIN, Nov. 22)

 

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)

 

Road communications to government centers of all of the cyclone-affected districts had been restored by Thursday, except 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)

 

The divisional commissioners of Barisal and Khulna have suggested some subdivisions of the worst-affected districts of Patuakhali, Borguna, Bagerhat, Jhalokati, Khulna and Pirojpur should get relief priority. (DMIC, Nov-18) GoB has started its vulnerable group feeding program in the southern districts and is considering raising its original allocation of 10kg of rice per person to 20 kg of rice per person. (The Daily Star, Nov. 19)

 

Many news sources have reported that villagers in the most remote, impoverished areas have been complaining about a lack of government help and have said they believe the death toll is far higher than reported. Fighting broke out Wednesday in at least two overcrowded government-run relief camps in Purba Saralia and Basal Bar villages, where there was reportedly not enough food for all of the displaced. (AP, Nov. 21) Cleaning up debris and fallen trees could take weeks in remote areas because locals do not have chainsaws and modern machinery, so the process must be done by hand. (CNN, Nov. 21) 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 Armed Forces Division 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)

 

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)

 

National Response

 

The Bangladeshi Rural Advancement Committee (BRAC) says areas visited November 20-21 include Shoronkhola and Morrelganj in Bagerhat and Khulna Division in Southwest Bangladesh. BRAC is giving out 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)

 

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. 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)

 

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.

 

 

International Response

 

The GoB has reportedly so far received offers of about US$400 million worth of international emergency aid.

 

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. 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)

 

The UN began procurement and distribution of 60,000 family kits, tube wells, 100,000 Jerry cans, US$1.5 million for medicine, 92 metric tons of baby food, 100,000 blankets, 60,000 family kits, 60,000 articles of children clothing and 50,000 plastic sheets. 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)

 

Reports from the UN needs assessments of the storm-affected area are expected on November 21. 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 yesterday 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. 240,000 packets of water purifying powder are reaching 48,000 families. Shelter materials (thick polyesters) will also be distributed to 18,000 households whose houses were destroyed by the storms. Partners are currently distributing dry food (flattened rice and molasses) to 70,000 affected families. (OCHA, Nov. 20)

 

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 Saturday 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 is mobilizing US$20 million in aid (money and material). UNICEF has also received US$2.7 million from the CERF. Several donors including Japan, Canada, AusAID, Swedish SIDA, and the World Bank have expressed interest in supporting UNICEF’s response. (Daily Star, Nov. 22). UNICEF has set up dozens of camps to care for children orphaned by the cyclone. (AFP, Nov. 22) UNICEF has pledged US$6.8 million in relief funds and plans to supply safe water, medicine, and food to the millions affected by Cyclone Sidr in Bangladesh. UNICEF Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) counterpart Department of Public Health Engineering (DPHE) is planning to transport water to the affected districts by trucks through roads that may be open for use. (The Daily Star, Nov. 19) UNICEF is going to provide cash assistance for buying jerry cans, transportation and other expenses involved in making safe water available to the affected population. A stock of 7.3 million WPT (Water Purification Tablets) provided by UNICEF during the recent floods are available for immediate distribution (2 million with DPHE and 5.3 million at the Central Medical Store Depot (CMSD) of the Ministry of Health). UNICEF ready to provide all assistance based on needs and as requested by the government. Essential medicines provide by UNICEF during and the after the floods to replenish stock are available in the system for channeling to the affected population and are considered adequate. UNICEF will work with WFP in distribution of dry food and BP5 biscuits, and with Save the Children USA on other aspects of relief and rehabilitation focusing on children. Some 1300 recreational kits for children pre-positioned during the floods are still available with 20 partners NGOs. UNICEF is also moving ahead with procurement of family kits, plastic sheets and more dry food as needed. The most commonly used dry foods are flattened rice, puffed rice and molasses. UNICEF is ready to provide cash assistance for procurement and distribution of dry food. (UNICEF, Nov. 17)

 

The UN Disaster Management Team (UNDMT) met Friday (November 16) to assess the situation and strategize a joint UN response. The meeting was chaired by the UN Resident Coordinator, and participated by all agencies including Representatives of UNICEF and WFP.

 

The UN Environment Program (UNEP) and OCHA have published a joint Environmental Risk Identification report for Bangladesh available on Relief Web. (www.reliefweb.int). (UNEP, Nov. 16)

 

The UN’s World Food Program (WFP) on November 23, will begin distributing rice by road to the affected areas. (IRIN, Nov. 22) Five WFP assessment teams are in the field operating out of the Jessore sub-office. Initial reports indicate 'serious' devastation and 'acute' needs. Nutrition rates in the areas affected are already thought to be very high - between 30 and 40 percent. - WFP is carrying out emergency food distributions to cyclone victims using stocks of high energy biscuits pre-positioned in Jessore district. Further disaster response will be programmed based on the feedback from WFP assessment teams, which were deployed to the affected areas immediately after the disaster. (WFP, Nov. 22)

 

WFP and the BAF on Monday started using helicopters to air-drop WFP high-energy biscuits to people in inaccessible areas. WFP says that so far it has delivered biscuits to more than 650,000 people. WFP will also distribute more than 2,000 MT of high energy biscuits over the next few days to provide for some 15 days of food. Plans are also being finalized to start distributing rice as people start returning to their villages. WFP is coordinating the cyclone rehabilitation program on behalf of international agencies in Bangladesh. WFP representatives met Sunday with the Bangladeshi Food and Disaster Management Ministry and were awaiting an assessment report from their 12-member team that is visiting remote areas before sketching out further short- and long-term assistance plans. Food management, medical support and temporary shelter will be given top priority. (The Daily Star, Nov. 19)WFP has deployed response teams to southwest Bangladesh to help manage its workers stationed there, who will distribute an estimated 98 tons of ready food from WFP’s emergency hub to feed an estimated 400,000 victims, Xinhua News Agency reported Friday. WFP sending high-energy biscuits which it says is enough to feed 400,000 people for three days. (BBC, Nov. 17)

 

The World Health Organization (WHO) “surge” team is on its way to the country. WHO also reported that it had local polio surveillance officials in Bangladesh who were ready to cooperate with local health authorities to help in any capacity. As of late Friday local time, a total of 116 medical teams and hundreds of Red Crescent volunteers were working in the affected areas, according to UN sources.

 

 

NGOs / IOs:

 

ActionAid is launching a 1 million-Euro (US$1.5 million) appeal. ActionAid has started an immediate relief operation working with local organizations to distribute dry food, clothes and water purifying tablets to those most in need as well as setting up kitchens delivering hot cooked food. The charity will also be working towards longer term rehabilitation, helping communities to rebuild and restock. (AA, Nov. 20) ActionAid is currently stepping up humanitarian assistance from its own resources as well as using a grant that has come from the European Commission's Humanitarian Aid Office (ECHO). ActionAid teams, working with local organizations, are putting extra emphasis on reaching out to women, children and other vulnerable communities. The emergency relief packs that ActionAid has distributed so far include food, warm clothes, cooking vessels, utensils and medical supplies. More than 1,000 families have been covered to date by ActionAid. Another 6,000 families have been identified and will be reached in the next few days. (AA, Nov. 22)

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