This is a lesson starter for a KS3 citizenship lesson, looking at how the people of Bangladesh deal with cyclones. In November 2007, Cyclone Sidr in Bangladesh triggered a tidal surge that killed 3,300 people. The death toll could have been far higher without disaster preparedness work. There is an underlying ethical and practical value to preventing human suffering before disaster or crisis strikes, rather than continually focusing on saving lives after a disaster. The clip conveys the serious impact of cyclones in Bangladesh and shows how Red Cross volunteers help the Bangladeshi community during a cyclone warning. There is information on how residents aim to protect themselves against cyclones by boarding up windows and using signaling flags. The clip poses some questions for students to discuss: What else could people do to protect themselves? What does your community do to protect itself from hazards?

Video Series: Lesson Starters
Release Date 2009