Highlights

• On the morning of 16 May, cyclonic storm Mahasen made landfall in Patuakhali district in southern Bangladesh moved forward to the northeast away from Myanmar, weakened and dissipated on 17 May.

• Relevant storm tracking sites stopped tracking the weather system once it moved over northern Bangladesh early on 17 May.

• 7 deaths were reported by the Government of Sri Lanka.

• The Government of Bangladesh reported 14 deaths, 65 injured persons.

A new era of high and volatile food prices go beyond affecting what people can afford to eat and are causing life-changing shifts in society, experts warn today.

GENEVA, 22 March 2013 - Two of the world's most disaster-prone countries, Bangladesh and Brazil, today shared the biennial UN-Sasakawa Award which was presented to the laureates by the Head of the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction, Margareta Wahlström, in the presence of the sponsor and chairman of the Nippon Foundation, Yohei Sasakawa.

Situation

On 16 May, Cyclone Mahasen made landfall in Patuakhali District of Southern Bangladesh causing widespread destruction and leaving 13 people dead. Of the ten coastal districts hit, the three districts of Patuakhali, Bhola and Barguna were the worst affected. The Government of Bangladesh has reported approximately 49,000 houses have been completely destroyed and 45,000 houses partially destroyed. Over 1.2 million people have been affected and 1.1 million people were evacuated.

24 hours after ‘Mahasen’ passed it can been seen that even though the worst has been avoided in the number of victims, the impact of the tropical storm could have long-term effects on the living conditions of the people. In Patharghata, the intervention area of Terre des hommes, the teams immediately got to work.

Last Thursday 16th May, at 9.30 a.m., ‘Mahasen’ swept through Bangladesh, killing ten people according to the first reports, injuring hundreds and causing widespread damage throughout the Gulf of Bengal.

Following assessments, CARE emergency teams in Myanmar and Bangladesh found that Cyclone Mahasen caused little damage as it passed over coastal Bangladesh and spared Myanmar almost entirely.

“Thankfully, Cyclone Mahasen has not had the impact that we feared in Myanmar, but the Government’s and all stakeholders’ efforts and preparedness to respond have been laudable," said Brian Agland, CARE Country Director in Myanmar.

Summary: CHF 292,693 was allocated from the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Society (IFRC)’s Disaster Relief Emergency Fund (DREF) on 17 October 2012 to support Bangladesh Red Crescent Society (BDRCS) to deliver assistance to 25,000 beneficiaries. Unearmarked funds to repay DREF are encouraged.

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Wheat and rice prices mostly fall around the region

Strong production generally kept domestic prices around the region stable or drove them slightly down for wheat, wheat flour and rice, except in India and Myanmar where government procurement programmes pushed prices higher. Overall, however, prices were mostly higher than at the same time last year, according to FAO’s Global Information and Early Warning System (GIEWS).

Dhaka, 19 May 2013 - While Tropical Storm Mahasen reached the coastline of Bangladesh on Thursday weaker than anticipated, the preparedness work undertaken by the Government and humanitarian partners saved countless lives.

Preliminary assessments from the Government indicate that some 1,280,000 people were affected with 13 lives lost. 10 districts were hit with in the wake of the storm. Early recovery support in terms of restoring livelihoods, shelter and providing clean water, sanitation and hygiene in localized areas is the priority now.