USAID hands over 200 cyclone shelters to Bangladesh after repair

The US Agency for International Development (USAID) formally handed over 200 cyclone shelters to Bangladesh.

The cyclone shelters were repaired under the agency's "Increasing Community Resilience to Disaster (ICR)" project implemented by World Vision in southwest Bangladesh.

USAID Bangladesh Mission Director Kathryn Stevens joined Ranjit Kumar Sen, additional secretary of the Ministry of Disaster Management to virtually hand over the shelters at a ceremony.

The shelters provide over 100,000 community and project participants across Koyra, Dacope, Shyamnagar and Kaliganj upazilas with access to safe and secure shelters during disasters such as cyclones and flooding.

As a result of the renovation work, communities are now able to access the shelters with clean WASH facilities including safe and potable water sources for drinking, toilets and hand washing facilities which are now more important than ever in light of Covid-19, said a US embassy statement today.

Shelters are also more accessible with improved access roads and ramps and have safe spaces for vulnerable groups including women, adolescents, children, the elderly, and persons with disabilities.

In his opening remarks, Ranjit Kumar Sen said these shelters are the joint responsibility of communities and the government.

"We must take care of these shelters so that they keep our communities safe during frequent disasters such as cyclones and floods."

USAID Mission Director Kathryn Stevens said since 2001, USAID has worked with Bangladesh government to build over 700 multi-purpose cyclone shelters in high-risk areas that have helped save thousands of lives all over the country.

Over the past two years, USAID has supported refurbishment of these additional 200 shelters. Through targeted interventions like this one, USAID is working to increase the institutionalised capacity, coordination and infrastructure required to prepare, respond, and reduce risks related to cyclones and other environmental shocks, she said.