Bangladesh is situated in a zone that is highly prone to earthquakes. And even though the immediate impact of an earthquake affects virtually everyone, neither the government nor the population is prepared for the consequences of such a disaster. Due to the absence of awareness campaigns on the devastating effects of earthquakes, and since no major earthquake has struck Bangladesh in almost 200
	years, the population is largely unaware of the possible impact of an earthquake. Until now, schools have virtually no disaster-associated activities in their curriculum and hospitals have little knowledge on mass casualty management in case of disaster One of the major problems is that local authorities mostly do not acknowledge the possibility of an earthquake and persist in a state of denial of the danger of such a major disaster. Cyclones and floods have been the primary focus of attention in disaster
management in Bangladesh and most measures undertaken have focused on these areas, thereby forgetting the risk of earthquakes. Yet the degree of devastation caused by earthquake could be reduced if people were better prepared. The challenge is to convey the possibility of earthquake to the policy community and in so doing prioritize preparedness initiatives. AAB believes that people have the right to receive early warning of impending disaster, where possible, and to have the means and resources to respond to this warning. Therefore, this project aims to make people aware of earthquake-related danger and to channel its efforts to mitigate earthquake vulnerability.

Earthquakes pose a greater threat to urban areas than to the countryside due to the high density of buildings in cities. In the Earthquake Vulnerability Atlas of the Chittagong City Corporation, which has been developed by ActionAid Bangladesh under DIPECHO II, 28 of the 41 wards have been categorized as medium and high risk to potential effects of earthquake disaster. This atlas has been developed considering different aspects of earthquake risk and vulnerability, including geomorphology, road network, residential units, educational use, economic use and social service of the city corporation. Consequently six wards in Chittagong have been selected for the implementation of this project based on level of risk, networks and the relationship with the community and local government institutions.

The second area of implementation of the earthquake component, Rangamati district, is a hilly area situated near the active tectonic Burmese plate. Vulnerability is high in this area in terms of settlement and weak communication. During a moderate earthquake in 2003 it became apparent that this region is exposed to multiple vulnerabilities including a lack of minimum preparedness and limited transportation. Before ActionAid started its intervention, there was no government or NGO program that focused on disaster preparedness in this region. Because of these risks and vulnerabilities RRVC works on awareness-raising among local administration, local government institutions and civil society.