On November 12th and 13th 1970, the Great Bhola Cyclone hit Bangladesh causing one million deaths according to official government figures. The shocking tragedy has prompted the need that people need comprehensive early warning systems that involve chancing the populations understanding on what actions to take. The Cyclone Preparedness Program (CPP) was established with this concept in mind, and has been successful in preventing avoidable deaths and injury since the last major storm has only 20 fatalities. The government of Bangladesh has identified the need to establish 5,500 cyclone shelters and mass evacuation plans leading to mortality rates dropping dramatically between 1991 and 2007. Although the program relies on volunteers, they are able to sustain operations required to prevent and respond to events such as disseminating cyclone warning signals, evacuating high risk-category populations, provide first aid and humanitarian assistance, conducting community outreach activities and deepening the understanding of disaster risk amongst the populations served.
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