| The contemporary framework of disaster risk reduction urges for inclusion of concept of resilience to address Build Back Better strategy. However, the number of empirical study that addressed the mutual links among hazard-preparedness, resilience, and recovery are still too few. This study presents an empirical case study on how the hazard preparedness training as a disaster risk reduction approach played a critical role in building socioeconomic resilience against the tropical cyclone triggered shocks. Focusing on household level, a total of 420 face-to-face interview were conducted in a cyclone-prone coastal area known as Koyra in southwestern Bangladesh by using a structured questionnaire in order to obtain information on households’ hazard preparedness, response, and recovery. In addition, seven Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) were also conducted with local inhabitants to gain idea on the local socioeconomic phenomenon and hazard preparedness schemes. Tropical Cyclone Aila that made landfall in May 2009 was considered as the disaster event in this study. Utilizing the ‘Access Model’ framework, this study explored how the preparedness training affected at-risk households’ pre-disaster socioeconomic elements to shape their post-disaster response and recovery. The empirical findings suggest that majority of the sampled respondents in the study area were poor and heavily dependent on climate sensitive sectors for their livelihoods; and Cyclone Aila provoked substantial sufferings for them in terms of consumption, livelihood-opportunity, financial and structural damage, and access to basic utilities. However, the respondent households that were involved more with preparedness trainings demonstrated better response and recovery not only by understanding the warning message, evacuating for safe havens, and reaching quickly to emergency relief; but also by incurring less degree of economic, structural, and physical damages during pre and post -cyclone state respectively, which reflects their better resilience capacity. |
