Multi Hazard Disaster Risk Assessment of Housing at Southern Coast of Bangladesh

Abstract

The coastal community of Bangladesh has been facing different natural disasters like tropical cyclone, drought, thunderstorm, flood, nor'wester etcetera almost in every year. Large scale damage of property and environmental settings is a common feature of natural disasters in coastal Bangladesh. The aim of the study is to assess the disaster risk on housing and then find out the risks of existing housing pattern. The study is conducted by semi-structured questionnaire survey; personal observation; Focus group discussion (FGD); Key informant interview (KII) and secondary data collection method. The research has been conducted in Patharghata upazila under Barguna district in Bangladesh. The study found that, Cyclone is the top riskiest hazard for housing structure at the study location with score 20.41, where the second prior hazard nor'westers' score is 12.61. Historical cyclone impact analysis revealed that the cyclone impact on housing is a continuous process at coastal Bangladesh. The overall structural condition of houses is not resilient to cyclone. People only use wire nails as a connecting material at a minimum number for wooden frame housing structure and 93% people of the area don't aware about the cyclone resilient housing construction. The traditional way of construction housing is huge vulnerable in the context of tropical cyclone. The more research on cyclone impact on housing the more securing option will come out.