Coping Measures and Social Capital in Offsetting Effects of an Estuary Flash Flood in Bangladesh: A Case Study

Abstract

The northern, northeastern, and southeastern parts of Bangladesh are highly susceptible to the impacts of flash flooding. Beyond these typical areas, flash floods also occur in the coastal areas of the country. The objective of this paper is to examine the ways residents of a coastal area have coped with the impacts of the flash flood event that took place on 5 August 2020 in 26 villages of Kamalnagar and Ramgati upazilas in the Lakshmipur district, Bangladesh. A household survey conducted in these villages revealed that nearly 83% of the respondents adopted two of the six broad groups of coping measures to recover from the impacts of the 2020 flash flood event. Unlike flash floods in typical areas, the survivors in the study area did not receive any emergency assistance either from local/national governments or NGOs, creating a cause of anger among the flash flood survivors. They offset the event effects largely by social capital through social networks and social relations. This study concludes that the government of Bangladesh should have effective policies to reduce the impacts of coastal flash flooding.