Cyclone in Bangladesh

ENV101

Assignment #2

Submitted By:

Mohammed Ohidur Rahman

ID: 0920439

Submission Date: May 04, 2010

1.

Cyclone is one of the most common natural disasters in Bangladesh. Many times during its history, Bangladesh has been struck by devastating tropical cyclones that have caused great loss of life and property. The geographical location of Bangladesh has made it vulnerable to natural disasters like cyclone. The Bay of Bengal is an extension of the Indian Ocean lying between India and Southeast Asia. The bay narrows towards its northern shore where it meets the south coast of Bangladesh. This narrowing can act as a funnel, directing cyclones towards Bangladesh's coast and intensifying them in the process. The effect of the storm surges that accompany these cyclones is very severe owing to the low, flat terrain that makes up most of Bangladesh. The frequency and intensity of cyclones increase when it comes to Bangladesh due the funnel shaped coast at the south. It is a low lying area with its majority of land mass just above the sea level, which makes Bangladesh to suffer more damage and losses of lives. Due to its weak and scare infrastructure, Bangladesh experience relatively more destruction than other countries.

The most deadly cyclones of the modern era struck Bangladesh in 1970 and 1991. The 1970 "Bhola Cyclone" killed approximately 500,000 people damaging million of acres of crops and leaving behind twenty million people homeless. Many people died in 1970 cyclone because of government’s neglect and poor relief work.

At least 138,000 people were killed by the storm with the majority of deaths in the Chittagong area in 1991. Most deaths were from drowning, with the highest mortality among children and the elderly. Although cyclone shelters had been built after the 1970 Bhola cyclone, many had just a few hours of warning and did not know where to go for shelter. Others who knew about the storm refused to evacuate because they did...