In the Cox’s Bazar camps of Bangladesh, where cyclones pose a perpetual threat, a remarkable group of individuals emerges as the unsung heroes of disaster preparedness and response.
Numbering around 3,300, these Red Cross Red Crescent volunteers serve as the bedrock of community readiness and emergency response within the camp settlement.
Dil Mohammed, aged 46, is one of them. "People know we will be there for them if they need us during any disaster," he says.
Trained and prepared by the Bangladesh Red Crescent Society (BDRCS) and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), Dil Mohammed and his fellow volunteers play a pivotal role in disseminating cyclone early warning information and facilitating anticipatory actions to reduce the unprecedented loss and damage that cyclones can bring.
Two volunteers in the Cox's Bazar settlement in Bangladesh work to strengthen a shelter in Camp 26 before cyclone Mocha hit in 2023.
Photo: Bangladesh Red Crescent and IFRC
The cyclone seasons in Bangladesh, spanning from April to May and October to November, are periods of heightened alertness. Since 2018, the volunteers have received training on disaster preparedness and the camp’s early warning system, as well as safety gear and early warning equipment.
As cyclone Mocha approached in May 2023, for example, these volunteers sprang into action. Dil Mohammed recalls their swift response: "When cyclone signal 1 was announced, we immediately got the news and started verbal messaging among the people living in my camp. After receiving the cyclone signal 4 announcement, we hoisted 1 cyclone signal flag and disseminated signal information through megaphones across the camp."
While male volunteers focused on informing the broader community, their female counterparts played a vital role in raising awareness among the female members of the camp community.
"We reached out door-to-door, making a tremendous impact in our community, where 52 per cent of the population is female," says Dil Kayas, a female volunteer from camp 8W.
Another woman volunteer in Camp 7, Minara sais "the learnings enabled me to support my own community people during their need".
Along with other volunteers, Minara helps facilitate block-level awareness sessions, ensuring that even those who were unable to attend large-scale events receive vital cyclone preparedness information.
A volunteer in Cox's Bazar Camp 7, Minara says the training she received from the Bangladesh Red Crescent enabled her "to support my own community people during their need"
Photo: Bangladesh Red Crescent and IFRC
Minara also used her first-aid training to provide immediate assistance to her injured nephew, showcasing the real-world impact of capacity enhancement initiatives within the camps.
As the cyclone threat escalated, the volunteers doubled their efforts. Dil Mohammed explains, "When we heard that signal 8 was announced, we hoisted 3 signal flags and started using sirens, megaphones, mosque microphones, and every available communication tool to ensure that every camp resident knew about the impending danger."
Recognizing that women, children, the elderly, and persons with disabilities are the most vulnerable during disasters, the volunteers devised a plan to ensure their safety. They maintained a list of households with “extremely vulnerbale individuals” and once the first flag was hoisted, they visited every such household, offering reassurance and readiness to help.
In one instance, a pregnant woman approached the volunteers, expressing concern about her fragile shelter's ability to withstand the cyclone. The volunteers, in coordination with site management, arranged her relocation to a nearby family's shelter, prioritizing her safety and well-being.
Dil Kayas and Dil Mohammed continued their efforts, using megaphones to disseminate signal information. They advised community members to secure their shelters and protect important documents in plastic bags.
They also highlighted the availability of communal shelters for emergency use. As a result of their messages, the community actively participated in securing their shelters, with women playing a proactive role.
After the cyclone's passag, they swiftly transitioned to post-cyclone responsibilities, conducting assessments to measure the extent of the damage in their respective camps and identifying those in need of emergency assistance. They also engaged in the demanding task of clearing roads and paths, ensuring access and communication within the camps.
“After the landfall of cyclone Mocha, we started cleaning the roads in the camp blocks,” says Mahabu Alam, a young volunteer from camp 1W. “Trees were uprooted, debris scattered, hindering accessibility."
Bangladesh Red Crescent and the IFRC staff meet with Cox’s Bazar volunteers about camp cyclone preparedness plans.
Photo: Bangladesh Red Crescent and IFRC
Similar stories unfolding in other settlements
Cox’s Bazar is not the only place where people displaced from Myanmar are making a difference in their own communities. In some cases, the volunteers include people whose families came to Bangladesh from Mryanmar in earlier years.
Inthe Basan Char settlement, Bangladesh Red Crescent volunteer Jafor Alam wheels a bicycle full of tools used for cleaning debris from water canals. If these canals get blocks during heavy rains, the result can be sudden flooding.
Bangladesh Red Crescent volunteer Jafor Alam and another volunteer clean a narrow concrete water canal in order to prevent blockages that can lead to flooding.
Photo: Bangladesh Red Crescent Society
Volunteers like Nur Hossain, meanwhile, play an important role in ensuring the maintenance and functionality of essential shelter infrastructure. An experienced foreman, Hossain has worked in various places in Chittagong, one the country’s largest cities.
In addition to maintaining shelters, to ensure their strength and safety, he organizes awareness sessions, and resolves issues that arise at the community level under the guidance of the BDRCS team.
Many also have considerable expertise in their fields. Abdul Hamid, who lives with his wife and children in Bhasan Char, joined the BDRCS Bhasan Char Operation as a Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) volunteer in 2021.
Bangladesh Red Crescent volunteer Abdul Hamid works underneath an apartment block where he is maintaining pipes that bring cooking gas that is produced from biological waste.
Photo: Bangladesh Red Crescent Society
Due to his technical expertise and his experience with biogas initiatives, he became site-management support volunteer responsible for maintaining biogas services in Bhasan Char.
In this way, Abdul Hamid plays an important role in ensuring the maintenance and functionality of essential biogas infrastructure, contributing significantly to his community's sustainability efforts.
Through their actions, all these volunteers not only protect their fellow residents but also empower their communities to face cyclones and associated hazards with resilience and readiness.
Story by Farhan Arafin Karim
Photos: Humayra Tasnim
With editing by Al-Shahriar Rupam and Rachel Punitha
