Effectiveness of Local Disaster Management Committee on Hazard Preparedness of the Households in Coastal Bangladesh

Local disaster managers play an essential role in reducing the losses and damages from induced hazards. The government of Bangladesh (GoB) has a well-recognized institutional framework for disaster management that extends from the top level of government to the bottom level. Standing Orders on Disaster (SOD) issued by the
GoB clearly defined the roles and responsibilities of the local disaster managers. Firstly, this study investigated the nature and relational strength of the actors of local disaster managers. Secondly, identifying their effectiveness for household preparedness activities, the post-disaster recovery process, and consumption pattern change. The study considers eight disaster-prone unions from different parts of coastal Bangladesh, where data were collected through Key Informant Interviews (KII) from local disaster managers (336 total interviews) and face-to-face household surveys from respected unions (696 total surveys). Data were analyzed through social network
analysis and multiple regression operations. Among the eight unions, Noltana, Protapnagar, and Sreeula unions were in a better position in a different set of analyses. Their disaster managers were very inclusive and decentralized. A centralized (i.e., dominated by only a few actors) and inefficient disaster management
committee negatively affects the household's hazard preparedness activities. It increases the probability of post-disaster loss and significant changes in the consumption pattern of households. The study concludes by indicating the scope where future research might be possible to accomplish a more integrated study in the
realm of climate change and disaster management. This study's findings will contribute to the local and national level policy-makers of Bangladesh in formulating upcoming adaptation plans for coastal areas.

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