Forwarn Bangladesh - ForeWarn Bangladesh

FOREWARN was established by Start Network in April 2016 as a global initiative with the goal of shifting the paradigm of disaster response from reactive to proactive. FOREWARN operates as a network comprising various member organisations, who collaborate closely to achieve the common goal of anticipating and responding to disasters effectively. FOREWARN's central mission is to facilitate the rapid mobilisation of the right resources and expertise to predict disasters and support humanitarian efforts in the closest proximity of anticipated crises. The FOREWARN model is designed to ensure timely and effective response efforts of humanitarian organisations in the face of imminent crisis.

The National FOREWARN platform was established in Bangladesh on November 4, 2019 in response to the specific needs identified by Start Fund Bangladesh and Start Network. These organisations recognised the importance of adapting the global FOREWARN model to the unique context and challenges faced by Bangladesh in managing and responding to disasters.

FOREWARN serves as a collaborative platform that brings together academia, sector-specific experts, providers of forecasting information, humanitarian organisations, and community representatives. Its primary objective is to foster improved connectivity and alignment among these multi-disciplinary groups, each specialising in various aspects of risk analysis, forecasting, and crisis anticipation. This collaborative effort aims to facilitate the delivery of more timely, efficient, and community-oriented support to populations affected by crises. Furthermore, FOREWARN Bangladesh plays a crucial role in offering valuable insights and practical recommendations to the Anticipation Window of Start Fund Bangladesh.

Hazards

Cold Wave

The mercury has been dropping in various parts of the country as the severity of winter is increasing, with the Bangladesh Meteorological Department expecting a further fall in temperatures, resulting in a cold wave.

The country's lowest temperature was 10°C in Tetulia in the 24 hours to 6pm on Sunday.

Riverbank Erosion

Riverbank erosion alone has rendered millions homeless and has become a severe social hazard. Structural interventions to provide protection against riverbank erosion are very costly. Bangladesh’s deltaic topography makes the country vulnerable to riverbank erosion forcing people to migrate or resettle. Millions of people have been rendered homeless by this disaster leading to migration i...

Cyclone

Evidence of climate change and sea-level rise suggest that coastal communities of Bangladesh are likely to face more frequent cyclones and storm surge events in the future. A long-term trend of disasters in Bangladesh based on 120 years (1900- 2020) data from EM-DAT data (http://www.emdat.be/) suggests that cyclone is one of the most recurrent disasters, they cause huge economic loss and can be...

Landslide

Landslides have started to become a major hazard especially in hilly areas of the country which make up 18% of the total area of the country. Usually triggered by heavy rainfall, landslides can cause extensive damage to human settlements and activities on the slopes (National Plan for Disaster Management, 2020).

FOREWARN Bangladesh developed an experts group for landslide who supports...

Flood

Bangladesh has an extensive flood history that is entwined with the geophysical and social development of the country. Flooding in Bangladesh normally covers approximately 20% of the land which can increase depending on the scale of the flooding, however, higher return period events (i.e., 100 years) such as the 1988 flood results in a relatively higher amount of flooded area. Approximately 80%...

Health

Dengue fever is the most common arthropod-borne viral (arbovirus) disease in tropical and subtropical regions of the world. Esteva and Vargas (1998) found that the vector population has a constant recruitment rate, which depends upon the fractions of eggs and larvae that mature to the adult stage, and a constant per capita mortality.

FOREWARN Bangladesh Health experts group conducted ...

Global FOREWARN