DHAKA, 7 July 2020 (BSS) – The European Union (US) has provided Euro 100,000 (Taka 9.6 million) to Bangladesh for reducing negative impact on most affected communities by severe flooding that submerged different parts of the country in late June.
The aid will benefit over 3,300 families in some of the hardest flood hit areas in Kurigram, Gaibandha and Jamalpur districts, a press release issued by EU mission here said today.
The aid would be used in evacuating the most vulnerable communities to safe shelters with their assets and livestock, providing unconditional cash grants, as well as providing first aid treatment.
The funding will also support the Bangladesh Red Crescent Society in using reliable scientific forecast information and risk analysis to foresee the potential impact of the floods and to conduct early actions aimed at reducing human suffering, losses and damage, said the release.
Heavy monsoon rainfall triggered extensive floods in northern and eastern areas of Bangladesh that could affect up to a million households over the first days of July, the release added.
The grant is part of the EU’s overall contribution to the Forecast-based Action (FbA) by the Disaster Relief Emergency Fund (DREF) of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC).
The European Commission has signed a three million euros humanitarian contribution agreement with IFRC to support the DREF and FbA.
The FbA is a funding mechanism which enables access to humanitarian funding for early action that can be taken based on meteorological forecast information, combined with risk analysis, to prepare for extreme weather events.