Praises for Bangladesh

But now the acknowledgements by the media in the US about our efficient handling of disaster situations, in the wake of their own calamity in the last week or so, should be much appreciated. There is no doubt that Bangladesh, over the years, has achieved considerable expertise in disaster management in the whole world. Especially since the nature's egregious plunder of 1991 when at least one hundred and thirty thousand people died in one of the biggest cyclones of recent times. The elevated cyclone shelters built by the Bangladesh government along the coastal regions, more emphasis by the authorities on storm warning system using indigenous methods to evacuate people -- all these have contributed largely in decreasing the number of casualties in later calamities.

Lack of sensitisation of the people in order to gauge the seriousness of the situation and leave the disaster prone areas as quickly as possible was probably one of the many reasons for the large number of casualties being feared in New Orleans right now. At the same time, lack of preparations by the authorities to provide these helpless people with safe shelters and food only added to the woes. As it has been widely accepted by all that Bangladesh, hardened from many experiences, has acquired certain skills and expertise in disaster management and handling of the aftermath, perhaps the US authorities can take a cue from Bangladesh's experience in handling such unpredictable circumstances, which they surely are not accustomed to.

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