Network based study on the involvement of organizations and perception of community in cyclone preparedness programme of selected coastal areas of Bangladesh

Abstract

Cyclone is a recurrent disaster event in Bangladesh that affects millions of people and causes the destruction of property every year. After the cyclone Gorky (1990) and Sidr (2007), the country has formulated and developed institutional and policy frameworks for cyclone management. The organizational framework for cyclone management consists of multiple layers of organizations. Within this framework, Cyclone Preparedness Programme (CPP) is considered a model program for disaster management in Bangladesh. CPP has been working in the coastal areas of Bangladesh since 1972, focusing on early warning, evacuation, search and rescue, and rehabilitation. During catastrophic events like cyclone, organizations from different levels of authority and jurisdiction interact with each other to manage the destructive impacts. Effective communication and coordination are some of the fundamental factors that contribute to the success of disaster management networks. As the first-responder to cyclones, it is crucial to evaluate local people's views regarding the performance of cyclone management activities at the community level. The need to consider inter-organizational linkages in the disaster management system is well-recognized. The study aims to explore the interactions among various organizations and analyze community perception regarding field-level activities of CPP. Data on organizational relationships are collected from documentation review, content analysis of newspapers, institutional survey, and key informant interviews. Social Network Analysis (SNA) is used to investigate the communication, coordination, and patterns of linkages among organizations. The study produced network diagrams for visualization and identified key organizations of the systems through the application of network analysis software. After analyzing the role of different actors, including CPP, a field visit is conducted in the coastal areas to understand the coastal community's perceptions. Galachipa upazila under Patuakhali district and Barguna Sadar upazila under Patuakhali district are selected as the study area. Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) tools such as Venn diagram, seasonal diagram, process map, pairwise ranking, and cause-effect diagrams are applied to analyze community perception. Using two different methods, i.e., SNA and PRA, the research investigates the disaster management networks at both organizational and community levels. The study demonstrated that CPP is one of the most influential actors in the cyclone management system of Bangladesh. The network composition shows that majority of the participating organizations are government organizations. The analysis of centrality measures, i.e., total degree, in-degree, out-degree, betweenness, and closeness centrality, identified the critical organizations of the systems. For the warning and response network, key organizations include the Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief (MoDMR) and CPP offices at Dhaka, upazila, and union levels. The centrality analysis suggests that CPP worked as a significant 'source' and 'receiver' of information that directly received information from other governmental organizations and transmitted them to upazila and union level organizations. Examining organizations' jurisdiction level revealed that local organizations played a crucial role in receiving factual information from the higher authority and disseminating them to the community. By generating network maps, SNA enabled the research to identify the network structure and the organizations located at the center of the network. The network density values showed that only around 17-28.5% of all possible connections are present in three networks. Through PRA analysis, the research identified the existing practices of the cyclone warning dissemination, evacuation, and sheltering. The research viewed the cyclone management network from both organizations' and community's perspective and found some discrepancies between the interactions at policy and field level. Although local public authorities were identified as key actors of the networks, field observations found that CPP union office was most strongly connected to the community. Lack of communication and coordination with the local authorities was identified from the discussion with community members. The findings strengthen the proposition that all actors in the inter-organizational network are necessary for the prompt delivery of services at different stages of the cyclone. The outputs of both SNA and PRA help develop a holistic idea of the obstacles for effective coordination among organizations and the way forward. Both network analysis and field survey enabled the research to identify some issues, including the lack of coordination and a trust-based relationship among participating actors. The study insisted that the presence of a hierarchical, top-bottom cyclone management system doesn't allow the exploration of local challenges that impact the coastal community. The study proposes strategies to facilitate effective collaboration among the actors and consequent effective performance of the network. The findings of the research will help public authorities to formulate effective cyclone recovery and response plans. Policymakers can utilize the networks to develop an information system with existing organizational linkages that will improve coordination and communication at all stages of a disaster.