Preferences for improved early warning services among coastal communities at risk in cyclone prone south-west region of Bangladesh

This study aims to estimate the willingness to pay (WTP) for improved warning services by considering the at-risk households' trade-off between proposed improved early warning services (EWS) and existing (EWS) in coastal Bangladesh. Empirical results show that the WTP of an at-risk household for improved EWS was estimated at Bangladeshi Taka BDT 468 (≈ US$ 5.57) per year, implying respondents were ready to pay for the improvement of the warning attributes, including precise information of the cyclones landfall time with possible impacts, more frequent radio forecasts, and voice messages in the local dialects over mobile phones.

This study concludes with four policy recommendations on mitigating the existing challenges for improving EWS in Bangladesh:

1. Enhance observation systems and modelling capabilities.
2. Generate ‘Impacts-based’ forecasting to translate technical knowledge into relevant local information, and thus create more actionable warnings.
3. Introduce rapid-alert dissemination system using multiple communication systems.
4. Test the system regularly. Local governments should run simulated emergency drills for children to become familiar with the required actions and support the early warning systems.