disaster response

August 16, 2016

Avoiding the supposedly unavoidable

Flooding is not a new phenomenon, and yet it continues to be treated with surprise. Almost one fifth of our country goes underwater every year. The geography and topography of Bangladesh means that we will always be prone to flooding, and the situation will only worsen with climate change.
June 30, 2016

Post-disaster recovery: Don’t forget the children

“What’s there to be afraid of?” they shot back, shrugging their shoulders with cheeky smiles. This was their reaction to Cyclone Roanu, which swept the coast of Bangladesh on 21 May 2016, killing 21 people and destroying 200,000 homes.
March 3, 2016

No lines, no relief camp: 4 lessons on using mobile money for post-flood relief

The increasing effects of climate change should be reshaping the way that we think about poverty alleviation and development. For many households, the shocks from a natural disaster can lead to increased economic and social vulnerabilities. 
October 12, 2015

New research: Children as victims of natural disasters

Due to its geographical location, Bangladesh faces various types of slow and rapid onset of natural disasters. In the coming years, the country will have to bear the increasing brunt of climate change. While relief work is swiftly undertaken by many organisations, there is work to be done on the long-term social and psychological rehabilitation of the people, particularly children living in the affected regions.
May 16, 2013

Preparation and relief efforts for Cyclone Mahasen

Cyclone Mahasen hit Bangladesh coastal areas on May 16. A combined effort by different BRAC programmes, including Disaster, Environment & Climate Change (DECC), mobilised precautions and has begun relief and rebuilding efforts.
April 26, 2013

Responding to the tragedy in Savar

To donate to BRAC's relief efforts, BRAC has partnered with Jolkona to raise money for BRAC Limb & Brace Centre custom prosthetics and counseling for victims of the building collapse and their families. To donate, please go to http://supportsavar.geocko.com/campaigns/eap. Or U.S. cellular phone users can text "BRAC" to 20222 to donate $10 via mobile.
April 22, 2013

Getting hot on thin ice

An organisation that has won marathons in the field of social development, BRAC has only recently begun dipping its toes in the ocean of environmental issues. Especially for a country like Bangladesh, it is impossible to isolate the ever-complicated ties that bond the contrasting elements of its human-centric and bio-centric problems. On this Earth Day, there is no other topic that seems more worthy of being highlighted, other than this one.
February 16, 2011

Responding to Floods in Sri Lanka

Earlier this month, I was in Sri Lanka, a beautiful island off the coast of India, with pristine beaches and mist shrouded mountains. The sun soaked beaches of Bentota on the western coast of Sri Lanka belied the reality that the country was facing its worst natural disaster since the Asian tsunami in 2004. Since January, due to heavy rains the eastern coasts of the country has experienced massive flooding. According to the Disaster Management Center over 1.2 million people have been affected, with the areas of Ampara, Batticaloa, Polonnaruwa, Anuradhapura and Trincomalee being the worst affected.
January 19, 2011

Update on the earthquake in Pakistan

Below is an e-mail we receive from the head of BRAC in Pakistan regarding yesterday's earthquake. Dear Everyone, Hope you are well and fine.
January 10, 2011

Stories of Success in Haiti: Dieulita (Part 3/5)

As we count down to the one-year anniversary of the earthquake that devastated Haiti, we'd like to reflect on the stories of the individuals we've helped recover and rebuild their lives. This series of posts includes the stories of people who have been able to recover from the biggest catastrophe in their country's history.
October 22, 2010

Pakistan floods deserve better media attention

This post was originally posted by Susan Davis in the Huffington Post blog. Imagine if Hurricane Katrina struck all the states from Florida to Massachusetts and massive floods washed away homes and businesses, destroyed roads and bridges, and devastated the lives of tens of millions of Americans. How would we react in the immediate aftermath? How quickly would we respond to the urgent need to provide food, water and health care to the victims? How would the media respond? We know the answer. There would be wall-to-wall daily coverage with stories of devastation and emergency response, and a clarion call to Americans with direction on the most effective way to help those in need.
October 15, 2010

Update on BRAC Pakistan Flood Relief & Rehabilitation

Over 20 million people have been affected by the floods in Pakistan, 75% of whom are in the Sindh and Punjab provinces. The floods damaged or destroyed 1.9 million houses.BRAC has a relief and rehabilitation program in place in the provinces of Sindh, Punjab, Baluchistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in Pakistan. The flood waters have started to recede and the displaced population is returning to their homes and villages.