Performance of Sidr affected a Few Typical Non-engineered Buildings at the Ganges Delta

A tropical cyclone of velocity more than the Basic Wind Speed recommended by the Indian Wind Code, slammed the Bangladesh coast around 100km east of the Sagar Islands, India in the evening of 15th November 2007, affecting the lives of millions of people. The vulnerability of the Ganges Delta to large storm surges, due to its minimal topography was demonstrated after the passage of the Cyclone Sidr. Such devastations give one a rare scope to study their impact, especially on the non-engineered building elements, which constitute shelter for major segment of the population.

This paper reports some of the major and prominent findings of two reconnaissance based vulnerability and damage surveys undertaken at the Sagar Islands, India and the Khulna and Barisal Divisions of Bangladesh.