Analysis of human vulnerability to cyclones and storm surges based on influencing physical and socioeconomic factors: Evidences from coastal Bangladesh

The objective of the present paper is to analyse the human vulnerability to tropical cyclones and storm surges based on the influencing physical and socioeconomic factors of vulnerability at household level. The necessary data were collected from two cyclone prone coastal villages of southwestern Bangladesh through a structured questionnaire survey, key informant interviews and field observation. Both the descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyse data. The major findings of this study reveal that socioeconomic and physical factors of human vulnerability have significant role to determine the household's level of vulnerability to the disaster induced by cyclones and storm surges. The study found that the level of vulnerability of households changes with the change of its physical and socioeconomic conditions. The households having susceptible physical condition and lower level of education or income have less access to weather forecast, disaster training and resilience to cope with future hazards and mostly these groups are vulnerable to further hazards. Similarly, the households have quick access to cyclone shelter, find cyclone forecast regularly and undertaken disaster preparedness measures are comparatively less vulnerable to cyclone impacts. The study concludes that household's intrinsic vulnerable conditions are responsible for its susceptibility to hazards. Therefore, the study advocates that reduction of vulnerability is the first measure for effective and fruitful disaster management.