Climate change is known to impact coastal areas in a variety of ways. The threat of climate change requires effective disaster risk management, especially in highly vulnerable ecosystems such as island communities of Southeastern Bangladesh. Past disaster experiences in different parts of the world have revealed the importance of integrating traditional ecological knowledge with scientific findings in managing disaster risk. Hence, this paper assesses the role of Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) in Disaster Risk Management (DRM) strategies of communities in Kutubdia and Maheskhali islands of Bangladesh. Participatory rural appraisal methods such as key informant interviews, household survey and focus group discussion were used for collecting the primary data. The survey was administered on 385 residents of the communities of the two islands. The findings show that the respondents use their TEK together with information from the mass media in predicting, preparing for and coping with the impacts of cyclone, flood and storms. The results could be used in creating an effective community-based DRM program for the above-mentioned communities and could serve as a reference and guide for other coastal communities that are vulnerable to climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]