Needs assessments, distribution monitoring and recovery evidence after floods, cyclones and landslides
Bharat Survey is a survey agency for disaster relief and rehabilitation NGOs, humanitarian consortia and CSR foundations that fund recovery. After an event, we help you find out who needs what, check that relief reached the right households, and measure recovery months later. Field teams use an offline Android app because networks are often the first thing a flood or cyclone takes down.
- Rapid household needs assessments
- Post-distribution monitoring of relief kits and cash
- Recovery and rehabilitation baselines
- Trauma-aware, consent-first interviewing
The right survey changes by the week. Asking a family about livelihoods on day three is intrusive; not asking by month three is negligent.
- 01
Days 1 to 10: rapid needs assessment
A short form on shelter, water, food, health needs and vulnerable members, run across affected villages or wards with a sampling approach that can be done quickly and explained later.ReliefSurvey 3/6 · AmenitiesOfflineHow is drinking water in your area?- Comes regularly
- Comes sometimes
- Rarely / never
- Don't know
✓ Section saved on phone · autosaveBackNext - 02
Weeks 2 to 8: post-distribution monitoring
Randomly selected recipients are asked whether kits or cash arrived in full, whether quality was usable, and whether anyone asked for anything in return.AccountabilityLocation evidenceSurvey #BS-0412- In areaInside approx. boundary
- Accuracy±12 m
- Time09:42 · fresh fix
- Mock GPSNot detected
- Interview length11 min
Added to accepted count - 03
Months 3 to 12: recovery baseline and tracking
Housing repair, income, debt, school return and health access measured against pre-disaster recall and repeated later.Rehabilitation3,000Target households2,184Visits1,962Completed1,871AcceptedDaily accepted interviewsLast 12 days
- Comes regularly
- Comes sometimes
- Rarely / never
- Don't know
- In areaInside approx. boundary
- Accuracy±12 m
- Time09:42 · fresh fix
- Mock GPSNot detected
- Interview length11 min
A recovery programme rarely has a true pre-disaster baseline. The practical substitute is a baseline collected as early as recovery work starts, with careful recall questions about the situation before the event, and government damage records used as a cross-check where available.
Aligning with official assessments
India's Post Disaster Needs Assessment tools, developed by the Ministry of Home Affairs and NDMA with NIDM, set out how states assess damage, losses and recovery needs. NGO baselines are not a substitute for those assessments, but using compatible sector categories makes it easier to share findings with district disaster management authorities.
Baseline modules
- Housing damage and repair status
- Income sources before and after
- Loans taken since the event
- Children's school attendance
- Access to relief entitlements
Our view on surveys after disasters
Rapid needs assessment
When speed decides lives
- Short form, under 15 minutes
- Purposive or cluster sampling explained in the report
- Results within days
- Good for targeting relief
Household recovery survey
When decisions need precision
- Longer, module-based questionnaire
- Probability sample with stated margins
- Results within weeks
- Good for programme design and evaluation
Data collection app for Disaster Relief and Rehabilitation NGOs
Your own staff and volunteers can run assessments on Android phones with the same app our teams use. Forms work offline, capture GPS where the device can get a fix, and sync when a network or Wi-Fi hotspot is available.
- Offline forms with skip logic
- Photo capture of damage with consent
- Duplicate household checks
Distribution evidence in one view
Coordinators see which villages have been assessed, which have received relief, and where post-distribution checks found problems, so the next truck goes to the right place.
- Village and ward coverage map
- Complaint flags
- Export for donor reports
Relief reached people
- Kit or cash received in full
- Quality usable
- Received on time
- No payment demanded
Targeting was fair
- Most affected included
- Women-headed households reached
- Persons with disabilities reached
- Exclusion complaints recorded
Recovery is happening
- Shelter repaired or rebuilt
- Income restored
- Children back in school
- Debt burden tracked
Not the right fit if
- Search and rescue or relief distribution itself
- Official damage certification for compensation
- Drone or satellite damage mapping without a partner
- Psychological counselling for respondents
A good fit if
- Needs assessments that can be explained
- Independent post-distribution monitoring
- Recovery baselines and follow-up rounds
- Offline tools for your own teams
Straight answers to the questions people ask most about this topic.
How quickly can a needs assessment start after a disaster?
It depends on access, safety and local permissions. Forms can be set up quickly from a standard template and adapted to the event. We do not send teams into areas authorities have closed, and fieldwork starts only when enumerators can travel safely.
How do you interview people who have just lost homes or family?
Enumerators are briefed on distress signs, keep interviews short, and explain that answering is voluntary and will not affect relief. If someone is distressed, the interview stops and, where possible, the person is referred to available support services.
Can post-distribution monitoring be independent of our field staff?
Yes. That is the point. Our enumerators select recipients randomly from your distribution list, interview them away from your staff, and report complaints directly to the person you nominate in your organisation.
Do you work in areas with no network after floods or cyclones?
Yes. The app stores interviews offline with time and, where available, GPS, and syncs later. Supervisors check records for location and duration once they arrive.
Share the affected districts, the timeline and what decisions the data must support.