Real-time Evaluation of Oxfam International's Response to Cyclone Sidr (November 2007- January 2008)

In late November, tropical storm Sidr caused widespread damage to the southern areas of
Bangladesh. According to an official report from MoFDM (Ministry for Food and Disaster
Management) the number of deaths is estimated to be around 4000 with 8.4 million people
(1.9 million families) affected. The main components of the
response are around water, sanitation, hygiene promotion and emergency shelter.

The real time evaluation took place in January 2008 with a team of three people, two from
Oxfam GB and one representative from Oxfam International Secretariat, using the following
benchmarks:
Response speed relative to others, given emergency preparedness measures
Relief appropriate to context and of a quality and scale expected of Oxfam
An effective management structure, providing clarity and decisions
Key support functions in place, and risks being assessed and minimised
Productive and coordinated external relationships
Connectedness