Spinning Storms Won’t Take Lives Anymore

Since 1970, Bangladesh has proactively implemented measures to prevent cyclone-related deaths – and through early warnings, an improved shelters system, and a vast network of volunteers, authorities have reduced them by 100-fold.

“We used to lose lives by the hundreds of thousands,” says Saleemul Huq, director of the International Centre for Climate Change and Development in Dhaka. “We still have floods and cyclones that cause a lot of damage, but we don’t lose lives anymore.”

The country collects meteorological data from more than 50 weather stations, but also from balloons and radars, and receives information from national and regional meteorological offices. Information is shared through radio announcements, targeted text messages, television alerts, and volunteers going door to door. Citizens can also dial a special number to hear pre-recorded disaster alerts. Bangladesh’s shelter system has greatly improved, going from 44 operational shelters for some 65 million citizens in 1972 to more than 14,000 ones today, in use throughout the year. The Cyclone Preparedness Programme has 200 employees and 76,000 volunteers, half of whom are women.