Communities are bracing themselves for Tropical Cyclone Sidr, which is heading across the Bay of Bengal towards the Bangladesh and Indian coasts has now hit part of the southern Bangladesh.

Ali Asgar, disaster preparedness project manager for the Bangladesh Red Crescent, said: "People are panicked and scared but the evacuations started last night and people are making their way to shelters.

"Those living on remote islands have also received the early warning messages and have been making their way to the mainland to the shelters."

The situation is being closely monitored by the Bangladesh Red Crescent, which is supported by the British Red Cross in a project to help communities prepare for cyclones. Staff and volunteers have been working to ensure that people in the affected areas are ready and safe when Sidr arrives.

Between 500 and 800 people have made their way to each of the 85 shelters run by the project, where families in low lying areas can seek refuge from the high winds and tidal surges of up to 20 feet resulting from the cyclone.

The project was set up more than a year ago. It aims to save lives and reduce the vulnerability of cyclone-prone communities by improving people's ability to prepare for a disaster at both the household and the community level.

Volunteers have been spreading the warning messages that a cyclone is coming and have been paying particular attention to high-risk groups, such as women and children, who are often marginalised in society and previously have failed to receive such life-saving warnings.

ENDS

Notes to editors

The project to help communities prepare for cyclones is called the Building Community Disaster Preparedness Capacity is supported by the Consortium of British, German and Swedish Red Cross, managed by British Red Cross.

Please contact Georgina Cooper or Will Slater in the British Red Cross press office on 020 7877 7479/7042 if you would like photographs of shelters and our disaster preparedness work or more information.