They do occur quite often but the reasons they are so deadly is because that region is very densely populated and it is low-lying. Still have questions? The 1970 Bhola cyclone, nationalist politics and the subsistence crisis contract in Bangladesh 1. But since the creation of disaster mitigating systems in 1991, deaths and damages have come down drastically. 3) to have ever hit that region but it was very costly in terms of lives lost. This was not the strongest cyclone (Cat. The 1970 Cyclone Bhola hit then East Pakistan on November 12, 1970. The 1970s started with Bangladesh as part of erstwhile Pakistan amid intense political tension between the two factions of the country - East (later Bangladesh) and the West (later Pakistan). Are backdoor cold fronts , fronts that come from the north  kind a like a warm front that heads south. conditions that would cause a cyclone would be that the air over the heated area expands, becoming lighter and rising. … The Bhola Cyclone, the deadliest cyclone in modern history, occurred in 1970 and left a significant impact on Bangladesh and India. The Bhola cyclone, one of the deadliest tropical cyclones the world has ever recorded, struck the Bay of Bengal in what was then the eastern wing of Pakistan in November 1970. 123 relations. Updates? Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree.... Aerial view of the flooding on Bhola Island after the Ganges-Brahmaputra delta cyclone, 1970. The storm surges ranged from 20 feet to 35 feet on the Ganges Delta. Most of the people that were killed, were killed in East Pakistan (Bangladesh), because of the storm surge that caused … Satellite image of the Ganges-Brahmaputra delta cyclone, November 12, 1970. Think about it. When will the weather get warmer and days get longer again ? The Bhola cyclone made landfall in East Pakistan (today known as Bangladesh ). These causes include the lack of sharing power between East and West Pakistan, resources, language, and the Bhola Cyclone. The system traveled north and intensified, driving into the low-lying delta area overni… West Pakistan had four provinces that included Punjab, Sindh, Balochistan, and the North-West Frontier. An estimated 300,000 to 500,000 residents were killed, mostly through drowning, and entire villages were wiped out. Let's take a closer look at the details of this tragic cyclone. The Bay Of Bengal is particularly prone to cyclones. In the 21st century the delta has also been affected by rising sea levels as … In November 1970, the Bhola Cyclone smashed into East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) and West Bengal (India) and killed at least 500,000 people (although the true death toll will never be known). Ganges-Brahmaputra delta cyclone, also called Bhola cyclone, catastrophic tropical cyclone that struck East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) on Nov. 12, 1970, killing hundreds of thousands of people in the densely populated Ganges-Brahmaputra delta. The Bangladesh (at time of incident, East Pakistan) Cyclone of 12-13 November, 1970. The Bhola cyclone formed over the Bay of Bengal and travelled north, gusting to 205 kph (130 mph) before making landfall in East Pakistan on the … This cyclone reached peak intensity, Category 3, on the 11, and made landfall on the coast of East Pakistan the following afternoon. Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. ... the devastation caused by the cyclone and the widespread view that the government had … Although there were not direct measurements of the winds of pressure in the storm, satellite imagery suggests that the storm intensified rapidly, becoming a well-defined cyclone with sustained winds between 137-145 km/h (85-90 mph) by 11 November. This contributed to a tropical depression that formed November 8 th 1970 in the Bay of Bengal. The 1970 Bhola cyclone caused 500,000 deaths and the 1991 cyclone caused 140 000 deaths. The devastating Bhola cyclone in November 1970 is credited with having triggered the political events that led to the division of Pakistan and the creation … Main article: Bangladesh Liberation War. The storm surge washed over many barrier islands and the flat shoreline of the Bay of Bengal killing approximately half of a million people. The cyclone formed over the Bay of Bengal on Nov. 8, 1970. On November 12, 1970, Cyclone Bhola made landfall over what was East Pakistan (now Bangladesh). Corrections? Ring in the new year with a Britannica Membership, This article was most recently revised and updated by, https://www.britannica.com/event/Ganges-Brahmaputra-delta-cyclone, Hurricanes: Science and Society - 1970- The Great Bhola Cyclone, Institute of Development Studies - The 1970 Bhola cyclone, nationalist politics and the subsistence crisis contract in Bangladesh. What is the theory on what caused it? It was the deadliest tropical cyclone ever recorded, and one of the deadliest natural disasters in modern times. Do people in Florida have less stress than people in the Northern US because they have pleasant winter weather ? Mounting frustration with relief efforts contributed to a victory for opposition politicians in the national elections held a month after the cyclone. The Bhola Cyclone began with the help of a left over tropical storm that was breaking up in the Pacific Ocean. Winds of over 200 kilometres per hour and a storm surge up to 10 metres high inundated over 4,000 square kilometres (1,700 square miles), causing massive damage to agricultural land and the built environment. Is Miami the new Silicon Valley? Communication ... An abrasion is a wound caused by superficial damage to the skin, no deeper than the epidermis. Be on the lookout for your Britannica newsletter to get trusted stories delivered right to your inbox. Government mismanagement over relief operations was one of the reasons for the birth of Bangladesh. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. Coinciding with a a lunar high tide, the storm triggered a huge storm surge that swept away hundreds of thousands of people in low-lying areas. So if tornadoes are the worst in the spring and hurricanes are the worst in the fall, does anything interesting happen in the summer? One such storm—the Ganges-Brahmaputra delta cyclone (also called the Bhola cyclone) of November 1970—caused an estimated 300,000 to 500,000 deaths and inundated a vast area.