Bangladesh’s annual flood crisis
Every year, millions of people in Bangladesh face the devastating effects of seasonal flooding. In May 2024, relentless rains displaced thousands of families – once again proving the urgency of sustainable, disaster-resistant housing. Over one year on from the floods, we look back at our preparedness and response project.
In partnership with Uttaran, we provided essential emergency aid, and trained local masons and carpenters to build flood- and wind-resistant homes that can withstand future storms.
In a focus group with local masons and carpenters who worked on these builds, we discussed the training they received from our partner Uttaran. They shared how valuable the skills were – especially learning to construct raised masonry plinths, built three feet above ground to withstand floods and high winds.
The game-changer: raised plinth homes
What’s a raised plinth? Raised plinths are three-foot-high masonry bases that lift homes above floodwaters, drastically reducing damage from seasonal floods.
Why does this matter?
- Keeps homes safe from rising waters
- Long-term protection against extreme weather
- Built by local experts trained in flood-resistant construction
Beyond emergency response: why local partnerships are important
Disaster resilience isn’t solely about supporting people in the immediate aftermath of a crisis, it’s about empowering communities.
By training local masons and carpenters, we ensured expertise remained within villages, enabling residents to take control of their safety and increasing resilience in the aftermath of future storms and extreme floods.
The future of climate-resilient shelters
With flooding worsening due to climate change, rebuilding using raised plinth shelters is an essential step toward long-term recovery.
Impact at a glance:
- 5.8 million people affected in August 2024 floods
- 334,434 houses damaged across 11 districts
- Thousands of homes rebuilt using raised plinths
See our response in action
These images show rebuilt shelters and community training and evaluation sessions. ShelterBox staff, together with our local partner Uttaran, visited communities that were affected by the severe flooding that took place in Bangladesh in 2024.
Since the floods, we have been providing people with essential aid items and long term shelter solutions to make sure that people are prepared and resistant to future floods.
Join the movement
Want to support sustainable shelter solutions? Learn more about our community-driven approach and disaster resilience efforts in Bangladesh. Read more about the project.
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The heading image captures a rebuilt home on plinths in Bangladesh.
