Recovery efforts: The case of the 2007 cyclone Sidr in Bangladesh

On the night of 15 November 2007, Bangladesh was devastated by tropical cyclone Sidr. The cyclone swept across the south-western coast and ripped through the heart of the country from south-west to north-east with 155 m/h (248 km/h) winds, triggering up to 20 feet (6 m) tidal surges (Paul, 2009). Cyclone Sidr originated from a tropical depression in the Bay of Bengal on 11 November 2007 and quickly strengthened, reaching peak sustained winds of 135 m/h (215 km/h). This storm eventually hit offshore islands and made landfall on the south-eastern part of the Sundarbans Forest, and almost one-third of this forest, a world natural heritage site, was totally destroyed. After landfall, Sidr weakened into a tropical storm and dissipated on 16 November 2007 (GoB, 2008a). Cyclone Sidr was one of the ten most devastating cyclones that struck Bangladesh during the 131 years between 1876 and 2007. According to the latest official reports, more than 27 million people in thirty districts suffered damage caused by Sidr, including damage to buildings, roads, bridges, culverts, ferries, embankments and crops (Paul and Dutt, 2010). Of the affected districts, twelve coastal districts were hardest hit by this storm (Figure 17.1). Cyclone Sidr claimed 3,406 lives – strikingly fewer than anticipated, and some 55,000 people sustained physical injuries (GoB, 2008a). An estimated 1.87 million livestock and poultry perished, and crops on 2.4 million acres of land were completely or partially destroyed. In addition, nearly 1.5 million homes and 5,500 miles (8,075 km) of roads were badly damaged or destroyed (GoB, 2008a). The storm also caused power outages that resulted in a near-countrywide blackout lasting more than thirty-six hours (Natural Hazards Center, 2008).