Humanitarian Aid Driven Recovery of Housing after Cyclone Aila in Koyra, Bangladesh: Characterization and Assessment of Outcome

Abstract

After cyclone Aila, which caused devastation in Bangladesh in 2009, humanitarian agencies extensively supported the housing recovery with in-situ housing provisions. This research aimed to characterize the housing recovery measures adopted by the NGOs and local people in Koyra Upazila of Bangladesh after cyclone Aila and also assessed the outcome of the housing recovery. The methodology was developed to conduct the research from a perspective of peoples’ perception and expert opinion. It included focus group discussions, an expert opinion survey, and an institutional survey. The result shows that NGOs and local people adopted protective measures only for windstorm and regular tidal floods ignoring measures to ensure safety against storm surges. The result also reveals that the recovery measures for housing were short-term and low to moderately contributing to pre-disaster vulnerability reduction. The housing recovery curve constructed from peoples’ perception indicates a development inheriting pre-existing vulnerabilities. This research is critical of the present approach of in-situ housing recovery and advocates a land-use-based approach.