Cyclone in East Pakistan in 1970
| Category 3 cyclone ( SSHWS ) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 |
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| Emergence | November 7, 1970 | ||
| resolution | November 13, 1970 | ||
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Peak wind speed |
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| Lowest air pressure | 966 hPa ( mbar ) | ||
| dead | 300,000–500,000 (cyclone with the most deaths to date) | ||
| Property damage | $ 86.4 million (1970) | ||
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Affected areas |
India , East Pakistan | ||
| Season overview: cyclone season in the North Indies 1970 |
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The cyclone in East Pakistan in 1970 (also known as Bhola cyclone ) was a tropical cyclone with catastrophic effects, which on November 12, 1970 particularly affected what was then East Pakistan (now Bangladesh ) and the Indian state of West Bengal . With a death toll of 300,000 to 500,000, it was the worst hurricane ever recorded and one of the most momentous natural disasters in recent history. As a direct consequence, the aggravation of the political tensions in East Pakistan led to the Bangladesh War in March 1971 and the establishment of the independent state of Bangladesh on the territory of East Pakistan in December of the same year.
Origin and course
The cyclone formed from the morning hours of November 8, 1970 over the Bay of Bengal with a center 12 ° 5 'N, 86 ° 5' E ( ⊙ ) and then moved northward, increasing in strength. On the morning of the following day it was classified as a tropical cyclone by the Indian weather service at 13 ° 5 'N, 86 ° 5' E ( ⊙ ) . After it almost came to a standstill in the night of November 9th to 10th at 14 ° 5 'N, 87 ° 0' E ( ⊙ ), it accelerated again towards north-northeast from November 10th and resumed the following day Intensity too.
From November 8th to 11th there were heavy rains in the Ganges Delta with particularly heavy episodes on November 8th and 9th. On the night of 12./13. November 1970, the storm classified as a severe cyclone reached the coast of East Pakistan . On the morning of November 13, the epicenter of the storm was around Noakhali . During November 13th, the storm moved further inland but quickly weakened. On the evening of November 13th, only remnants of a weak depression remained.
Effects
The exact number of fatalities is not known, the estimates range between 300,000 and 500,000 people. Most of them died as a result of the storm surges triggered by the cyclone , which reached heights of up to ten meters and flooded large areas of the islands in the Ganges Delta . Around 3.6 million people were directly affected by the destruction caused by the storm, the extent of which was estimated at around 86.4 million US dollars (equivalent to around 500 million US dollars in 2016). The economic impact included the destruction of around 9,000 fishing boats and the loss of around 280,000 cattle .
The total volume of humanitarian aid from the international community by the end of December 1970 was approximately US $ 210 million. The United States gave around $ 53 million and around 200,000 tons of wheat and provided six helicopters . France and the Federal Republic of Germany also sent helicopters and relief supplies worth around 6.9 million US dollars. Pakistan's neighbor, India, also provided roughly the same amount of aid despite the tense political relationship . The United Nations gave around US $ 11.1 million and a further US $ 5.3 million through its UNICEF children's charity . The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement sent aid worth 18.5 million US dollars through the League of Red Cross Societies. Pakistan received a loan of US $ 132.5 million from the World Bank for reconstruction in the affected region, the first time the International Development Organization approved a loan for reconstruction after a disaster.
Political Consequences
The Pakistani central government was sharply criticized by the opposition and the local authorities in the region of East Pakistan for what they saw as completely inadequate aid and for massive problems in organizing the distribution of relief supplies in the aftermath of the storm. The Pakistani government came under pressure and in December 1970 there were national parliamentary elections for the first time since the founding of Pakistan in 1947. The Awami League , the strongest political party in East Pakistan, achieved landslide success. Then the situation escalated and in March 1971 the Bangladesh War began , as a result of which in December of the same year the independent state of Bangladesh was established in what was formerly East Pakistan .
Concert for Bangladesh
The former Beatles guitarist George Harrison and the Bengali musician Ravi Shankar held two consecutive benefit concerts ( The Concert for Bangladesh ) in front of an audience of about 40,000 in Madison Square Garden in New York City on August 1, 1971, excerpts of which were also called album of the same name were released. The net proceeds of nearly 250,000 US dollars were donated to UNICEF for the victims of natural disaster and war in Bangladesh. The concert was the first benefit concert of this size and had a significant influence on later benefit events. By 1985, approximately $ 12 million had been raised from sales of the album and donated to Bangladesh.
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b INDIA WEATHER REVIEW: Annual review, Part C: Storms and depressions. 1970, accessed January 27, 2016 (Section 11 Severe Cyclone, Nov 8-11).
- ^ A b Neil L. Frank, SA Husain: The deadliest cyclone in history? Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society 1971; 52 (6): 438-445 PDF
- ↑ David Johnston: Bangladesh: The Benefit That Almost Wasn't. Los Angeles Times, June 2, 1985, accessed January 27, 2016 .