20 July 2020, Kurigram, Bangladesh - Momena Begum, 51, hails from Shakhahati village of Chilmari upazila in Kurigram district. She lives with her husband, son, daught-in-law, and her grandson. Her husband does not work now, due to his advanced age, so their family relies on their son's livelihood from agricultural work. Their home was inundated with flood water, often leaving them waist-deep in flood water. The coronavirus pandemic forced them to sell off their domesticated chickens and ducks, but now they are struggling to survive. ?One would have to see it to believe it,? she said. In an innovative approach to dealing with the effects of severe flooding in Bangladesh, the United Nations is using the latest in data and predictive analytics to forecast the next major monsoon floods, gauge likely impacts ? and take action ? before possible disaster hits.
On 4 July a high probability of severe flooding was forecast for mid-July along the Jamuna River in Bangladesh, with one-third of the area's total population likely to be affected. That warning was the trigger for the UN to immediately release $5.2 million from the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) to help communities urgently prepare and protect themselves.
The money went to three participating agencies ? the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) to enable them to prepare to distribute cash, livestock feed, storage drums, and hygiene, dignity and health kits.