Indigenous disaster management culture: a study on cyclone affected people of selected coastal areas in Bangladesh

Abstract

The r~mote coa,tal people of Bangladesh apply ClIrly warning and somc pl'[)tediol1 mCa,ures al community Icvel which can be tcrmed a, a socio-culiural and economic resourCC. There arc ,mne indigenous approache, of the communily in rcacting and n:sponding!O (he cycloncs to prnte"t and cope with the six idcntLtled clcments e~poscd to rL,k _ income. physical ,trllcturcs. communication infr8structure, injunes "nd 10" of lifc, busincss .,tock, and their pcrsonal belongings. Thc 8nalysi, 01 the community re8ctlon sllOws thal these me~han;"m can be used by (he Local Government. On the other hand. undcrstanding thc communit;", pe,c~ption, on cyclone "nd 'ocal Government Unit', ~yclone mitigating me8S\lre, i, 8lso found cssential in detining the policies for recommendation> on cyclonc management. The local housing deSign comiderat;ollS, techniques 8nd prote~tion measureS found very rdevant a, rctlecling thc idea of indigenou, knowledge 8nd praclices keeping in mmd the cyclones. OLtTerent hom;iLlg con'tru~tion practices. ,uch as !'Oof protection, w811 protection, roof fOlln. root 3hape, knotting pr8ctices. noor elements. elevation ot plinth levd, ,ctting style ot hou,e, 8nd trees. ,torage of bclonging, and emergenc)' food, ctc and othcr indi~",[]oUl practices like u,e at di,a,ter preparedness cal~nd8r, crop ,election. safc place and selection of route to safety, ctc wLth early cyclone warning systems aml!;'7ing animal behaviour, "eathcr hehaviour, river and canal bdlavlour and tile scope of using this knowledge ha, bcen identified as very .,ig[]ilicant to work ".ith for the cyclone counler facing with holistic mea,ure. Result show, tMt more than 50% of Ihe hou,cholds perceived cyelone as a nu"ance to (hem rather than a ~ata'trophe. They opt to stay in the area for the proximity to the source of economic livcl;hood and education of childrcn. The pcople apply more than six coping mechanism3 ;[] order to livc ,n the arCa l'or thcse people, coping mechani,m al'e an i[]tegral part of their life to live with thc effects of cyclone. The,e mecham,m, WCl'e categorized into economic. phY3icai and social mcchanisms. The viable coping mechanisms empl(}yed hy the community to protect 8nd cope with the ctl"ccts of cyclone, al'e tile economic and ,oeial types or coping mCCllan;sms. The economic and SOCial coping mechanisms employed by the houscholds f(}cus on the prepar~dne". respun,e an,l r~covery mc8sures on dcaling "ith the cyclone,. The social mechanism' tend to Slrengthen the socitd structurc of the commumty. Thrce factors were identil,ed that intluence the coping mechanism' employed bi the community at different cyclone ,tagc,-hefo,e. dunng and after. Income. "ceo" to a"i,lance, and geographic"llocation ,how 3;gnificant relationships with the COmmlHlIly', coping me~hanism,. Finding> show Ih"t there i, a necd for inclus;on of thc community', copi~g mechan;,ms for more realislic policie, and prq,'fllm, OLldi,aster manllgement. fhc aim of cyclone d"a'ler mitigation and re3ponsc of the Loc81 Government Unit (J lilT) should increllSc community's c8pacLties to hetter dC8l with advcr<e eff~cts of cydone. Thi, could be achieved through knowing and promming the community', coping mechamsm,. ,\bove all, Ltis ncec"ary that tho,e "ho are imp8cted by cydone or those peoplc who suffered from the n~g8tLve of cffec'l' of cyclones bceome thc <Hamactors or take patt in the planning and policY-3etting ot cycl(}ne dl;;aster management programs.