Extreme weather and disaster preparedness in the Rohingya refugee response: 2018 cyclone preparedness lessons learnt

The 2018 cyclone preparedness lessons learnt report captures and analyses knowledge acquired by humanitarian actors during their operations preparing for cyclone impacts in the Rohingya refugee camps. The purpose is to provide a reference document for planning for cyclones in the future, support evidence-based advocacy, and identify gaps in preparedness which need to be addressed. 

The Rohingya refugee response in Cox’s Bazaar, Bangladesh, is unique not only in terms of the rapidity and scale of the 2017 influx, but also in the extent of exposure of the refugee camps to seasonal variability, extreme weather and natural disaster risk. Although no cyclone has made landfall on the south-eastern coast of Bangladesh since the influx of the Rohingya, 2018 saw several depressions and tropical cyclones occurring nearby in the Bay of Bengal. While the center (area of the storm with highest impact) stayed away from the coast, given the large size of these depressions and tropical cyclones, impact from strong winds and heavy rainfall extended inland. While mitigation against the rainfall-triggered hazards associated with cyclone - such as landslide and flash flood – has reduced risk for many, risk reduction against wind hazard is severely limited in the Rohingya camps. The present report captures the lessons learnt in the government-initiated expansion of the Cyclone Preparedness Programme and humanitarian actors’ efforts to prepare for impacts of cyclone in the Rohingya camps.

The report is a joint product of the United Nations Development Programme, Bangladesh Red Crescent Society, American Red Cross, and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. The report is published as part of the Disaster Risk Management in Cox's Bazaar programme, which is funded by European Commission Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid (ECHO) and the Swiss Agency for Cooperation and Development, and which receives technical support from MSB (the Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency).