Shukoda was in her twenties when the cyclone of 1970 ravaged the coastline of Bangladesh. As she pours a glass of fresh coconut water she recalls how it once saved the life of her whole community in Subarnachar, in Bangladesh's southern Noakhali district.

"When the cyclone of 1970 hit our community, everything was destroyed. We had no safe drinking water, and food did not reach us for three days. We managed to find a knife that was too heavy to be swept away with the cyclone, and cut open the coconuts that had fallen to the ground in the storm. This is how we survived."

Bangladesh in context

Bangladesh is the most vulnerable country in the world to tropical cyclones. In addition, mortality risk from cyclones is approximately 200 times higher in developing countries like Bangladesh. The combination is deadly, for both lives and livelihoods of those living in coastal areas of Bangladesh such as Noakhali. Changes in cyclone behaviour have also been noted: they are impacting further inland over a greater geographic area, with increased frequency and severity, probably attributable to climate change.

At the same time, effective early warning systems have been shown to save thousands of lives. The cyclone that ravaged the coastline in 1970 killed 500,000 people. In 2007, cyclone Sidr killed 3,000: a difference in death toll that is largely attributed to effective disaster preparedness measures such as the Bangladesh Red Crescent's Cyclone Preparedness Programme (CPP) and the British Red Cross co-funded Building Community Disaster Preparedness Capacity (BCDPC) project implemented with European Commission funds. The project, running for the past three years, supports 85 communities along the coastal areas of Bangladesh to develop their capacity towards disaster preparedness and response, with a focus on addressing the specific needs of women and children.

World Disasters Report

While many cyclone shelters have existed since the aftermath of the 1970 cyclone, it is only in recent years that the idea of community based disaster preparedness has taken off, complementing existing disaster mitigation measures like the cyclone shelters, and tackling vulnerability at a deeper level by mobilizing the community.

It is this subject that this year's World Disasters Report, published by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, addresses, emphasising the need for both early warning and early action. However sound early warning systems are, unless accompanied by a prompt and pre-emptive response to the early warning they alone will not prevent the devastating impacts of natural hazards on vulnerable people.

The report also argues that the development of a more people-centred approach to disaster risk reduction is essential: strengthening communities' capacities to prevent and cope with the impact of hazards is a concrete way to save lives and prevent disasters from holding back development in the poorest countries. For example, before the start of the BCDPC project, many residents of Subarnachar, particularly women and children including Shukoda, did not use their cyclone shelter even though it was easily accessible. It was recognized that gender focussed social mobilization was necessary to make sure that the shelters were used, complimenting the early warning system of the CPP by ensuring early action to the warnings.

Early warning to early action: cyclone Aila

When cyclone Aila hit on 25 May of this year, the results were encouraging. Aila was a chance to put into practice the awareness raising and training that has been taking place over the past three years.

When they heard that cyclone Aila was approaching, Shukoda and her community around Boschin cyclone shelter, one of nine in the area, sprung into action. Shukoda is vice chairwoman of her local Red Crescent Community Disaster Preparedness Committee (CDPC) - fifteen member strong groups formed at the community level to activate the early warning system through social mobilisation. This female representation is essential to tackling the heightened vulnerability of women to cyclones.

As the cyclone was predicted to hit land, the CPP headquarters sent out a signal to community volunteers in the field via radio. Within 15-20 minutes, the CDPC called a meeting to activate this early warning signal. Through a combination of megaphones, flags, and household visits, the whole community was notified in plenty of time to take shelter from the storm.

Shukoda speaks about her role during Aila: "As vice chairwoman, it is my role to disseminate the warning signal to other women in the community. When the warning for Aila was given, I went around the community, telling women to pack their belongings in plastic and bury valuables in the ground. Then I told them to go to the shelter until the cyclone passed. At the time of a disaster, us women have learnt to work with the men to protect our community. Now we are more equal."

This mobilization of women is crucial, as in the past women have tended to remain at home during cyclones because they are afraid of loosing their possessions, livestock and therefore their livelihoods, making them reluctant to go to the shelters. It is also their responsibility to look after the elderly and children, making them less mobile. A male dominated society can also mean women are marginalized when it come to receiving cyclone warning information.

Rawshan Ara, 35, is one of ten community mobilisers for the BCDPC project. "Aila was the first cyclone to hit since I have been working for the Red Crescent. Aila showed people putting their training into action and protecting their belongings effectively. After sounding the warning signal, I visited the island area of Noakhali and saw all the women safe in the shelters with their children and their belongings. I was so proud to see the way people responded, showing a positive attitude in the face of disaster. Seeing the community thinking about reducing their own vulnerability and turning this into action gave me a great sense of peace."

Although Noakhali was not one of the worst affected areas during cyclone Aila, Rawshan is sure that when the next major cyclone comes, as it inevitably will, Shukoda and her community will be better prepared than ever to protect themselves.

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