The 1970 Bhola cyclone that struck Bangladesh was the deadliest tropical cyclone on record, killing an estimated 300,000 to 500,000 people. The storm formed in the Bay of Bengal in early November and made landfall in Bangladesh on November 12th with winds of 185 km/h. The extremely high death toll was primarily due to a devastating storm surge that flooded much of the low-lying Ganges Delta region. The cyclone exacerbated political tensions in Bangladesh and helped trigger the country's war of independence from Pakistan.

1. Cyclone’70
THE DEADLIEST HAZARD IN
BANGLADESH

2. Introduction
 A cyclone an atmospheric system characterized by the rapid inward
circulation of ari masses about a low-pressure center, usually accompanied
by stormy often destructive.
 As Bangladesh is located in Torrid Zone, cyclone is very common feature
here. Here it is named as tropical cyclone which, which is always very
dangerous.
 The World Meteorological Organization has officially recognized the
cyclone on November 8, 1970 that killed 300,000 people in the southern
region as the deadliest weather event ever but it was not the most
powerful. The horrific death toll in the cyclone was mostly due to a large
storm surge that overwhelmed the delta and tidal flats along the shores of
the Bay of Bengal, based on a report prepared by the UN body.

3.  The cyclone formed over the central Bay of Bengal on November 8, and
traveled northward, intensifying as it did so.
 It reached its peak with winds of 185 km/h (115 mph) on November 11,
and made landfall on the coast of East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) on the
following afternoon.
 At least 500,000 people lost their lives in the storm (CBC News), primarily
as a result of the storm surge that flooded much of the low-lying islands of
the Ganges Delta.
 Estimated damage is $86.4 million (1970 USD).
The Bhola Cyclone

4. Meteorological History
 The remnants of Tropical Storm Nora from the West Pacific, which had
lasted for two days in the South China Sea, moved west over the Malay
Peninsula on November 5.
 The remnants of this system contributed to the development of a new
depression in the central Bay of Bengal on the morning of November 8.
 The depression intensified as it moved slowly northward, and the India
Meteorological Department upgraded it to a cyclonic storm the next day.
The storm became nearly stationary that evening, but began to accelerate
toward the north on November 10.
 The storm further intensified into a severe cyclonic storm on November 11
and began to turn towards the northeast at speed 185 km/h and a central
pressure of 960 hPa.

5. Preparations
 A large part of the population was reportedly taken by surprise by the
storm.
 This is because the Indian and East Pakistani weather services may not
have shared information given the Indo-Pakistani friction at the time.
 There were indications that the storm warning system that existed in East
Pakistan was not used properly, which probably cost tens of thousands of
lives.
 Also the government did not carry out all of the recommendations Gordon
Dunn had listed in his report in 1961 of the previous 1960 cyclone.

6. Impact
 The exact death toll will never be known, but it is estimated to be
300,000 to 500,000 people in total.
 Pakistani radio reported that there were no survivors on the 13
islands near Chittagong. A flight over the area showed the
devastation was complete throughout the southern half of Bhola
Island, and the rice crops of Bhola Island, Hatia Island and the
nearby mainland coastline were destroyed.
 Over 3.6 million people were directly affected by the cyclone, and
the total damage from the storm was estimated at $86.4 million
(1970 USD, $450 Million 2006 USD).
 Three months after the storm, 75% of the population was
receiving food from relief workers, and over 150,000 relied upon
aid for half of their food.

7. Aftermath
 The day after the storm struck the coast, three Pakistani gunboats and a
hospital ship carrying medical personnel and supplies left Chittagong for the
islands of Hatia, Sandwip and Kutubdia.
 By November 24, the Pakistani government had allocated a further $116
million to finance relief operations in the disaster area.
 In the ten days following the cyclone, one military transport aircraft and three
crop-dusting aircraft were assigned to relief work by the Pakistani government.
 It was unable to transfer military helicopters from West Pakistan as the Indian
government did not grant clearance to cross the intervening Indian territory, a
charge the Indian government denied.
 As the conflict between East and West Pakistan, the Dhaka offices of the two
government organizations directly involved in relief efforts were closed for at
least two weeks.

8. Aftermath (cont.)
 A statement released by eleven political leaders in East Pakistan ten days
after the cyclone hit charged the government with 'gross neglect, callous
indifference and utter indifference'.
 Families who were made homeless by the cyclone were receiving up to 250
rupees (US$55 dollars in 1971; equivalent to $340 in 2018) to rebuild, but
that resources were scarce and he feared the survivors would "eat the
cash“.
 The government's handling of the relief efforts helped exacerbate the
bitterness felt in East Pakistan, swelling the resistance movement there.
This was one of the first times that a natural event helped to trigger a civil
war (the Liberation War of Bangladesh).

9. Conclusion
 Though the Bhola cyclone was not the most powerful, the severity was
highest.
 Less preparation, poor weather service, poor management, political
conflicts increased the total damage, death toll and destruction.