Country: Bangladesh Source: International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies Please refer to the attached file. SUMMARY OF THE EARLY ACTION PROTOCOLThe IFRC Disaster Response Emergency Fund (DREF) has approved a total of CHF 499,980 for the Bangladesh Red Crescent Society (BDRCS). The approved amount consists of an immediate allocation of CHF 176,675 for readiness, CHF 55,913 for pre-positioning stock and CHF 267,393 automatically allocated to implement early actions once the defined triggers are met.Allocations are made from the Anticipatory Pillar of the DREF, under the DREF appeal code MDR00001. Unearmarked contributions to the DREF are encouraged to guarantee enough funding is available for the Early Action Protocols being developed.Though Bangladesh is in a subtropical monsoon region, due to being situated close to the Himalayan, the northern especially north-western part of Bangladesh faces extreme weather conditions during winter. Bangladesh has recently been experiencing cold waves, which often result in adverse impacts on the livelihoods of the most vulnerable people. Due to the historical climatic condition, the people of the country are not prepared for the sudden drop in temperature, especially below 10°C, with their present household structures and livelihood patterns. Additionally, rural houses have no heating system and are designed for ventilation in summer. But there are no measures to protect the inhabitants from cold waves.In Bangladesh, the cold wave is affecting the livelihood of vulnerable people mostly in the northwest and northeastern parts. Health risks like- respiratory problems or breathing issues, pneumonia, hypothermia, diarrhea, and other cold-related illnesses are a common situation for the elderly and children during the period of cold waves. Study shows that from 2009 to 2021 on average more than 100 people died during this period due to coldrelated sicknesses. In addition to agriculture activities, crop production, livestock and poultry farms, transport system, and education sector, overall day-to-day activities and economic activities are hampered during cold waves.Livestock like goats, chickens, ducks, and cows also have a negative impact during cold waves. They get sick and need special care and medical assistance. For heavy fog, cold, and lack of daylight agricultural products like BORO seedbeds and potatoes get affected. To save livestock and agricultural products, community people must bear extra cost during the cold wave. Students of primary school are more impacted due to cold-related diseases, like- fever, ARIs, and pneumonia, and this causes a lack of concentration in studies.The cold wave is a complex weather phenomenon. Though the minimum temperature is one the primary factors for expressing cold waves, maximum temperature, sudden drop, and feeling like temperature are not negligible as they intensify the impact of cold waves. Therefore, to understand the hazard of cold waves, historical analysis has been done for temperature and wind speed.