Keywords
cyclone shelter
coastal community
resilient infrastructure
vulnerability
How to Cite
Abstract
Cyclones are among the most common catastrophic events witnessed along the coastal belts of West Bengal, India. Multipurpose Cyclone Shelters (MPCS) are government funded community buildings built to safeguard the local inhabitants and their livestock during natural calamities. Construction of MPCS is an important measure taken by the government to deal with cyclone disasters. There are 41 existing cyclone shelters across five cyclone prone coastal blocks of Purba Medinipur district, West Bengal, India. This study sets forth the findings of a primary survey that enumerates, the sustainable utilization of the MPCS during fair weather periods and evaluates their present condition based on a weighted scoring model. 46% (n=19) of the MPCS had amenities that required improvement while 54% (n=22) met and/or surpassed the basic requirements. The locations of the existing cyclone shelters have been analysed based on their mean centre of spatial distribution of population, indicating a non-equitable distribution of the MPCS. The available space per person in the MPCS has been calculated. None of the MPCS is humanely sufficient for the adjacent vulnerable population seeking refuge. There is requirement for more shelters. The capacity of the existing MPCS may be increased by providing multi-layered vertical bunk beds.
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