View source for 1970 Bhola cyclone

{{Short description|Tropical cyclone that struck East Pakistan in 1970}}
{{distinguish|Cyclone Bola}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2024}}
{{Infobox weather event
| image = 15B 1970-11-12 0956Z.png
| caption = The ITOS 1 weather satellite image of the cyclone making landfall in East Pakistan on 12 November
| formed = {{start date|1970|11|8|df=y}}
| dissipated = {{end date|1970|11|13|df=y}}
}}{{Infobox weather event/IMD
| winds = 100
| pressure = 960
}}{{Infobox weather event/JTWC
| winds = 130
}}{{Infobox weather event/Effects
| year = 1970
| damages = 86400000
| deaths = 300,000–500,000 <br />([[List of the deadliest tropical cyclones|Deadliest tropical cyclone]] on record)
| affected = [[East Pakistan]] and [[India]]
}}
{{Infobox weather event/Footer
| season = [[1970 North Indian Ocean cyclone season]]
}}
The '''1970 Bhola cyclone''' (also known as the '''Great Cyclone of 1970'''<ref name="EHTC2007">{{cite book |last1=Longshore |first1=David |title=Encyclopedia of Hurricanes, Typhoons, and Cyclones |date=2007 |publisher=Facts On File Inc. |isbn=978-0-8160-6295-9 |page=215 |edition=2}}</ref>) was a devastating [[tropical cyclone]] that struck [[East Pakistan]] (present-day [[Bangladesh]]) and India's [[West Bengal]] on 12 November 1970.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2020-11-12 |title=World's deadliest tropical cyclone was 50 years ago |url=https://public-old.wmo.int/en/media/news/world%E2%80%99s-deadliest-tropical-cyclone-was-50-years-ago |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231218172627/https://public-old.wmo.int/en/media/news/world%E2%80%99s-deadliest-tropical-cyclone-was-50-years-ago |url-status=dead |archive-date=December 18, 2023 |access-date=2022-12-26 |website=public.wmo.int |language=en }}</ref> It remains the deadliest tropical cyclone ever recorded and one of the world's [[List of natural disasters by death toll|deadliest humanitarian disasters]]. At least 300,000 people died in the storm,<ref name="wmo">{{cite web|url=https://wmo.asu.edu/content/world-highest-mortality-tropical-cyclone|title=World: Highest Mortality, Tropical Cyclone|work=World Meteorological Organization's World Weather & Climate Extremes Archive|publisher=Arizona State University|date=November 12, 2020|accessdate=February 23, 2022|archive-date=September 30, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200930214557/https://wmo.asu.edu/content/world-highest-mortality-tropical-cyclone|url-status=live}}</ref> possibly as many as 500,000,<ref name="16 deadliest storms">{{cite web|url=https://www.businessinsider.in/science/the-16-deadliest-storms-of-the-last-century/slidelist/60486966.cms|title=The 16 deadliest storms of the last century|author=|work=Business Insider India|date=September 13, 2017|accessdate=February 23, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220107131218/https://www.businessinsider.in/science/the-16-deadliest-storms-of-the-last-century/slidelist/60486966.cms|archive-date=January 7, 2022|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="remembering">{{cite news|url=https://www.dhakatribune.com/opinion/op-ed/2019/11/08/remembering-the-great-bhola-cyclone|title=Remembering the great Bhola cyclone|first=Julian|last=Francis|publisher=Dhaka Tribune|date=November 9, 2019|accessdate=February 24, 2022|archive-date=September 17, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210917030248/https://www.dhakatribune.com/opinion/op-ed/2019/11/08/remembering-the-great-bhola-cyclone|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Ghosh |first=Manash |author-link= |date= |title=Bangladesh War: Report from Ground Zero |url= |location= |publisher= |page= |isbn=978-93-91125-37-0}}</ref> primarily as a result of the [[storm surge]] that flooded much of the low-lying islands of the [[Ganges Delta]].<ref name="NOAA">{{cite web
|url=http://www.research.noaa.gov/spotlite/2007/spot_cyclone.html
|title=NOAA Researcher's Warning Helps Save Lives in Bangladesh
|date = December 6, 2007
|first = Paula
|last = Ouderm
|access-date = 24 January 2008
|publisher = [[National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080517144749/http://www.research.noaa.gov/spotlite/2007/spot_cyclone.html
|url-status=dead
|archive-date=May 17, 2008}}</ref> Bhola was the sixth and strongest cyclonic storm of the [[1970 North Indian Ocean cyclone season]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://en.banglapedia.org/index.php?title=Cyclone|title=Cyclone|website=en.banglapedia.org|publisher=Banglapedia|access-date=November 13, 2016|archive-date=January 19, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160119131247/http://en.banglapedia.org/index.php?title=Cyclone|url-status=live}}</ref>

The cyclone formed over the central [[Bay of Bengal]] on 8 November and traveled northward, intensifying as it did so. It reached its peak with winds of {{convert|185|km/h|mph|abbr=on|round=5}} on 10 November, and made [[landfall]] on the coast of East Pakistan on the following afternoon. The storm surge devastated many of the offshore islands, wiping out villages and destroying crops throughout the region. In the most severely affected [[Upazilas of Bangladesh|upazila]] [[Tazumuddin Upazila|Tazumuddin]], over 45% of the population of 167,000 were killed by the storm.

The Pakistani government, led by [[military junta|junta]] leader General [[Yahya Khan]], was criticized for its delayed handling of relief operations following the storm, both by local political leaders in East Pakistan and by the international media. The poor and discriminating response from the West Pakistan government led to the increasingly widespread disillusionment from the East Pakistani people, allowing the opposition Awami League to gain a landslide victory in the province during the [[1970 Pakistani general election|election that took place a month later]] as well as the [[Bangladesh Liberation War]] 7 months later.

== Meteorological history ==
{{storm path|15B 1970 path.png|colors=new}}
On 1 November, [[Tropical Storm Nora (1970)|Tropical Storm Nora]] developed over the [[South China Sea]], in the West Pacific Ocean. The system lasted for four days, before degenerating into a remnant low over the [[Gulf of Thailand]] on 4 November, and subsequently moved west over the [[Malay Peninsula]] the next day.<ref name="ATCR">{{cite web |url=http://www.usno.navy.mil/NOOC/nmfc-ph/RSS/jtwc/atcr/1970atcr.pdf |title=Western North Pacific Tropical Storms 1969 |author=Joint Typhoon Warning Center |work=Annual Typhoon Report 1969 |year=1969 |access-date=March 15, 2012 |author-link=Joint Typhoon Warning Center |archive-date=September 25, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180925080001/https://www.usno.navy.mil/NOOC/nmfc-ph/RSS/jtwc/atcr/1970atcr.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name="AMS">{{cite journal |title=The deadliest tropical cyclone in history? |volume=52 |issue=6 |page=438 |author=Frank, Neil |author2=Husain, S. A. |date=June 1971 |publisher=[[American Meteorological Society]] |journal=Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society |doi=10.1175/1520-0477(1971)052<0438:TDTCIH>2.0.CO;2 |bibcode = 1971BAMS...52..438F|doi-access=free }}</ref> The remnants of this system contributed to the development of a new [[tropical depression|depression]] in the central [[Bay of Bengal]] on the morning of 8 November. The depression intensified as it moved slowly northward, and the [[India Meteorological Department]] upgraded it to a [[tropical cyclone|cyclonic storm]] the next day. No country in the region had ever [[Tropical cyclone naming|named]] tropical cyclones during this time, so no new identity was given.<ref name="IMD" /> The storm became nearly stationary that evening near 14.5°&nbsp;N, 87°&nbsp;E, but began to accelerate toward the north on 10 November.<ref name="IMD">{{cite web|url=ftp://ftp.library.noaa.gov/docs.lib/htdocs/rescue/cd024_pdf/005ED281.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190614112938/ftp://ftp.library.noaa.gov/docs.lib/htdocs/rescue/cd024_pdf/005ED281.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-date=2019-06-14|title=Annual Summary&nbsp;— Storms & Depressions|work=India Weather Review 1970|author=India Meteorological Department|year=1970|access-date=April 15, 2007|pages=10–11}}</ref>

The storm further intensified into a severe cyclonic storm on 11 November and began to turn towards the northeast, as it approached the head of the bay. It developed a clear [[eye (cyclone)|eye]] and reached its peak intensity later that day, with three-minute sustained winds of {{convert|185|km/h|mph|abbr=on|round=5}}, one-minute sustained winds of {{convert|240|km/h|mph|abbr=on|round=5}},<ref name="Mariners Weather Log January, 1971">{{cite journal|publisher=National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration|last=Schwerdt|first=Richard|title=Worst Cyclone of the Century Batters East Pakistan|journal=Mariners Weather Log|date=January 1971|volume=15|issue=1|page=19|url=https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/imgsrv/download/pdf?id=msu.31293201280298;orient=0;size=100;seq=21;attachment=0|access-date=May 19, 2016|archive-date=May 17, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210517223918/https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/imgsrv/download/pdf?id=msu.31293201280298;orient=0;size=100;seq=21;attachment=0|url-status=live}}</ref> and a central pressure of 960&nbsp;[[hPa]]. The cyclone made [[landfall]] on the [[East Pakistan]] coastline during the evening of 12 November, around the same time as the local [[high tide]]. Once over land, the system began to weaken; the storm degraded to a cyclonic storm on 13 November, when it was about {{convert|100|km|mi|abbr=on}} south-southeast of [[Agartala]]. The storm then rapidly weakened into a remnant low over southern [[Assam]] that evening.<ref name="IMD"/>

== Preparations ==
There is question as to how much of the information about the cyclone said to have been received by Indian weather authorities was transmitted to East Pakistan authorities. This is because the Indian and East Pakistani weather services may not have shared information given the [[Indo-Pakistani War of 1971#Background|Indo-Pakistani friction]] at the time.<ref name="Lowell-Jan">{{cite news |date=January 31, 1971 |title=Many Pakistan flood victims died needlessly |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/2956402/many_pakistan_flood_victims_died/ |newspaper=[[Lowell Sun]] |page=E3 |via=[[Newspapers.com]] |access-date=April 15, 2007 |archive-date=May 9, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160509003705/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/2956402/many_pakistan_flood_victims_died/ |url-status=live }} {{Open access}}</ref> A large part of the population was reportedly taken by surprise by the storm.<ref name="NYT-1">{{cite news|title=Cyclone May Be Worst Catastrophe Of The Century|first=Walter|last=Sullivan|work=[[The New York Times]]|date=November 22, 1970}}</ref> There were indications that East Pakistan's [[storm warning]] system was not used properly.<ref name="NYT-2">{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1970/12/04/archives/east-pakistan-failed-to-use-stormwarning-system.html|title=East Pakistan Failed To Use Storm-Warning System|work=The New York Times|date=December 1, 1970}}</ref> The [[Pakistan Meteorological Department]] issued a report calling for "danger preparedness" in the vulnerable coastal regions during the day on 12 November. As the storm neared the coast, a "great danger signal" was broadcast on [[Radio Pakistan]]. Survivors later said that this meant little to them, but that they had recognised a No. 1 warning signal as representing the greatest possible threat.<ref name="Stars-and-Stripes">{{cite news |last=Zeitlin |first=Arnold |date=December 11, 1970 |title=The Day The Cyclone Came To East Pakistan |url=https://www.newspaperarchive.com/other-articles-clipping-dec-11-1970-4685219/ |newspaper=[[Stars and Stripes (newspaper)|Stars and Stripes]] |edition=European |location=Darmstadt, Hesse |agency=Associated Press |pages=14–15}}{{open access}}</ref>

Following two previously [[1960 North Indian Ocean cyclone season#1960 East Pakistan I cyclone|destructive cyclones]] in October 1960 which killed at least 16,000&nbsp;people in East Pakistan,<ref name="MWR-1961">{{cite web|url=http://docs.lib.noaa.gov/rescue/mwr/090/mwr-090-03-0083.pdf|title=The tropical cyclone problem in East Pakistan|last=Dunn|first=Gordon|date=November 28, 1961|access-date=April 15, 2007|work=Monthly Weather Review|publisher=[[American Meteorological Society]]|archive-date=June 7, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120607004431/http://docs.lib.noaa.gov/rescue/mwr/090/mwr-090-03-0083.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> the Pakistani central government contacted the American government for assistance in developing a system to avert future disasters. Gordon Dunn, the director of the [[National Hurricane Center]] at the time, carried out a detailed study and submitted his report in 1961. However, the central government did not carry out all of the recommendations Dunn had listed.<ref name="Lowell-Jan"/>

== Impact ==
[[File:Patuakhali in Bhola Cyclone 1970.jpg|thumb|left|Destruction in [[Patuakhali]] after the cyclone]]
Although the North Indian Ocean is the least active of the [[tropical cyclone basins]], the coast of the Bay of Bengal is particularly vulnerable to the effects of tropical cyclones. The exact death toll from the Bhola cyclone will never be known, but at least 300,000&nbsp;fatalities were associated with the storm,<ref name="wmo"/><ref name="AMS" /> possibly as many as 500,000.<ref name="16 deadliest storms" /> The cyclone was not, however, the most powerful of these; the [[1991 Bangladesh cyclone]] was significantly stronger when it made landfall in the same general area, as a [[Saffir–Simpson scale#Category 5|Category 5]]-equivalent cyclone with {{convert|260|km/h|mph|round=5|abbr=on}} winds.

The Bhola cyclone is the deadliest tropical cyclone on record and also one of the [[List of natural disasters by death toll|deadliest]] [[natural disaster]]s in modern history. A comparable number of people died as a result of the [[1976 Tangshan earthquake]], [[2004 Indian Ocean earthquake]] and the [[2010 Haiti earthquake]], but because of uncertainty in the number of deaths in all four disasters, it may never be known which one was the deadliest.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TEYVAgAAQBAJ|title=Disaster Management: International Lessons in Risk Reduction, Response and Recovery|last1=López-Carresi|first1=Alejandro|last2=Fordham|first2=Maureen|last3=Wisner|first3=Ben|last4=Kelman|first4=Ilan|last5=Gaillard|first5=Jc|date=November 12, 2013|publisher=Routledge|isbn=9781136179778|page=250|access-date=May 6, 2016|archive-date=November 12, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231112050443/https://books.google.com/books?id=TEYVAgAAQBAJ|url-status=live}}</ref>

=== Bangladesh ===
{{Deadliest tropical cyclones}}
The meteorological station in [[Chittagong]], {{convert|95|km|mi|abbr=on}} to the east of where the storm made landfall, recorded winds of {{convert|144|km/h|mph|abbr=on}} before its [[anemometer]] was blown off at about 2200 UTC on 12 November. A ship anchored in the port in the same area recorded a peak gust of {{convert|222|km/h|mph|abbr=on}} about 45&nbsp;minutes later.<ref name="AMS"/> As the storm made landfall, it caused a {{convert|10|m|ft|adj=on}} high [[storm surge]] at the [[Ganges Delta]].<ref name="IWM">{{cite web|url=http://www.iwmbd.org/html/PUBS/publications/P024.PDF|title=Cyclonic Storm Surge Modelling for Design of Coastal Polder|last1=Kabir |first1=M. M.|last2=Saha |first2=B. C.|last3=Hye|first3=J. M. A.|access-date=April 15, 2007|publisher=[[Institute of Water Modelling]] |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070622000638/http://www.iwmbd.org/html/PUBS/publications/P024.PDF |archive-date = June 22, 2007}}</ref> In the port at Chittagong, the [[storm tide]] peaked at about {{convert|4|m|ft|abbr=on}} above the average sea level, {{convert|1.2|m|ft|abbr=on}} of which was the storm surge.<ref name="AMS"/>

Radio Pakistan reported that there were no survivors on the thirteen 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.<ref name="NYT-3">{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1970/11/17/archives/pakistan-death-toll-55000-may-rise-to-300000-death-toll-in-pakistan.html|title=Pakistan Death Toll 55,000; May Rise to 300,000|agency=Associated Press|work=The New York Times|date=November 16, 1970}}</ref> Several seagoing vessels in the ports of Chittagong and [[Port of Mongla|Mongla]] were reported damaged, and the airports at Chittagong and [[Cox's Bazar]] were under {{convert|1|m|ft|abbr=on}} of water for several hours.<ref name="NYT-4">{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1970/11/15/archives/thousands-of-pakistanis-are-killed-by-tidal-wave-cyclone-in-bay-of.html#:~:text=DACCA%2C%20Pakistan%2C%20Nov.,coastal%20districts%20of%20East%20Pakistan.|title=Thousands of Pakistanis Are Killed by Tidal Wave|work=The New York Times|date=November 14, 1970}}</ref>

Over 3.6&nbsp;million people were directly affected by the cyclone, and the total damage from the storm was estimated at [[United States dollar|US$]]86.4&nbsp;million (US$701&nbsp;million in 2024).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.emdat.be/country_profile/index.html |title=Country Profile |website=EM-DAT: The International Disaster Database |publisher=Centre for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters |access-date=April 15, 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160512113154/http://www.emdat.be/country_profile/index.html |archive-date=May 12, 2016 }}</ref> The survivors claimed that approximately 85% of homes in the area were destroyed or severely damaged, with the greatest destruction occurring along the coast.<ref name="Lancet p. 9">{{cite journal | url=http://www.laskerfoundation.org/awards/library/sommer/pdfs/east_bengal_cyclone_1970.pdf | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070622000638/http://www.laskerfoundation.org/awards/library/sommer/pdfs/east_bengal_cyclone_1970.pdf | archive-date=June 22, 2007 | title=East Bengal cyclone of November, 1970: Epidemiological approach to disaster assessment | last=Sommer | first=Alfred |author2=Mosley, Wiley | access-date=April 15, 2007 | journal=[[The Lancet]] | date=May 13, 1972 | volume=1 | issue=7759 | pages=1029–1036 | pmid=4112181 }}</ref> Ninety percent of marine fishermen in the region suffered heavy losses, including the destruction of 9,000 offshore fishing boats. Of the 77,000 onshore fishermen, 46,000 were killed by the cyclone, and 40% of the survivors were affected severely. In total, approximately 65% of the fishing capacity of the coastal region was destroyed by the storm, in a region where about 80% of the protein consumed comes from fish. Agricultural damage was similarly severe with the loss of US$63&nbsp;million worth of crops and 280,000 cattle.<ref name="AMS"/> 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.<ref name="Lancet p. 11">{{cite journal | url=http://www.laskerfoundation.org/awards/library/sommer/pdfs/east_bengal_cyclone_1970.pdf | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070622000638/http://www.laskerfoundation.org/awards/library/sommer/pdfs/east_bengal_cyclone_1970.pdf | archive-date=June 22, 2007 | title=East Bengal cyclone of November, 1970: Epidemiological approach to disaster assessment | last=Sommer | first=Alfred |author2=Mosley, Wiley | access-date=April 15, 2007 | journal=[[The Lancet]] | date=May 13, 1972 | volume=1 | issue=7759 | pages=1029–1036 | pmid=4112181 }}</ref>

The Bhola Cyclone would also lead to increased cholera and typhoid cases in the region due to the contamination of the water supply in the storm. Many attempts of sending aid to the region were impeded by the prevalent cholera, and as a result, medical aid was delayed.<ref>{{Cite news |date=1970-11-18 |title=DISEASE INCREASES IN PAKISTANI AREA SWEPT BY CYCLONE |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1970/11/18/archives/disease-increases-in-pakistani-area-swept-by-cyclone-cholera-and.html |access-date=2023-08-13 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=August 13, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230813213016/https://www.nytimes.com/1970/11/18/archives/disease-increases-in-pakistani-area-swept-by-cyclone-cholera-and.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

=== India ===
The cyclone brought widespread rain to the [[Andaman and Nicobar Islands]], with very heavy rain falling in places on 8{{ndash}}9 November. [[Port Blair]] recorded {{convert|130|mm|in|abbr=on}} of rain on 8 November, and there were a number of floods on the islands. MV ''Mahajagmitra'', a 5,500-ton [[Cargo ship|freighter]] en route from [[Calcutta]] to Kuwait, was sunk by the storm on 12 November with the loss of all fifty people on board. The ship sent out a [[distress signal]] and reported experiencing hurricane-force winds before it sank.<ref name="IMD"/><ref>{{cite news |date=November 15, 1970 |title=Cyclone Toll Still Rising |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/2956519/cyclone_toll_still_rising/ |newspaper=[[Florence Morning News]] |agency=[[Associated Press]] |page=1 |via=[[Newspapers.com]] |access-date=April 15, 2007 |archive-date=December 21, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191221151754/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/2956519/cyclone_toll_still_rising/ |url-status=live }} {{Open access}}</ref> There was also widespread rain in [[West Bengal]] and southern Assam. The rain caused damage to housing and crops in both Indian states, with the worst damage occurring in the southernmost districts.<ref name="IMD"/>

=== Death toll ===
Two medical relief surveys were carried out by the Pakistan-[[Southeast Asia Treaty Organization|SEATO]] Cholera Research Laboratory: the first in November and the second in February and March. The purpose of the first survey was to establish the immediate medical needs in the affected regions, and the second, more detailed, survey was designed as the basis for long-term relief and recovery planning. In the second survey, approximately 1.4% of the area's population was studied.<ref name="Lancet p. 6">{{cite journal | url=http://www.laskerfoundation.org/awards/library/sommer/pdfs/east_bengal_cyclone_1970.pdf | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070622000638/http://www.laskerfoundation.org/awards/library/sommer/pdfs/east_bengal_cyclone_1970.pdf | archive-date=June 22, 2007 | title=East Bengal cyclone of November, 1970: Epidemiological approach to disaster assessment | last=Sommer | first=Alfred |author2=Mosley, Wiley | access-date=April 15, 2007 | journal=[[The Lancet]] | date=May 13, 1972 | volume=1 | issue=7759 | pages=1029–1036 | pmid=4112181 }}</ref>

The first survey concluded that the surface water in most of the affected regions had a comparable salt content to that drawn from wells, except in [[Noakhali Sadar Upazila|Sudharam]], where the water was almost undrinkable with a salt content of up to 0.5%. The [[Mortality rate|mortality]] was estimated at 14.2%—equivalent to a death toll of 240,000.<ref name="Lancet p. 5">{{cite journal | url=http://www.laskerfoundation.org/awards/library/sommer/pdfs/east_bengal_cyclone_1970.pdf | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070622000638/http://www.laskerfoundation.org/awards/library/sommer/pdfs/east_bengal_cyclone_1970.pdf | archive-date=June 22, 2007 | title=East Bengal cyclone of November, 1970: Epidemiological approach to disaster assessment | last=Sommer | first=Alfred |author2=Mosley, Wiley | access-date=April 15, 2007 | journal=[[The Lancet]] | date=May 13, 1972 | volume=1 | issue=7759 | pages=1029–1036 | pmid=4112181 }}</ref> Cyclone-related [[morbidity]] was generally restricted to minor injuries, but a phenomenon dubbed "cyclone syndrome" was observed. This consisted of severe [[Abrasion (medical)|abrasions]] on the limbs and chest caused by survivors clinging to trees to withstand the storm surge.<ref name="Lancet p. 5"/> Initially, there were fears of an outbreak of [[cholera]] and [[typhoid fever]] in the weeks following the storm,<ref name="NYT-5">{{cite news |last=Schanberg  |first=Sydney |author-link=Sydney Schanberg |date=November 22, 1970 |title=Pakistanis Fear Cholera's Spread |work=The New York Times}}</ref> but the survey found no evidence of an epidemic of cholera, [[smallpox]], or any other disease in the region affected by the storm.<ref name="Lancet p. 5"/>

The totals from the second survey were likely a considerable underestimate as several groups were not included— 100,000&nbsp;migrant workers who were collecting the rice harvest, families who were completely wiped out by the storm, and those who had migrated out of the region in the intervening three months. Excluding these groups reduced the risk of hearsay and exaggeration.<ref name="Lancet p. 6"/> The survey concluded that the overall death toll was, at minimum, 224,000. The worst effects were felt in [[Tazumuddin Upazila|Tazumuddin]], where the mortality was 46.3%, corresponding to approximately 77,000 deaths in the [[Upazila|thana]] alone. The mean mortality throughout the affected region was 16.5%.<ref name="Lancet p. 7">{{cite journal |url=http://www.laskerfoundation.org/awards/library/sommer/pdfs/east_bengal_cyclone_1970.pdf| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070622000638/http://www.laskerfoundation.org/awards/library/sommer/pdfs/east_bengal_cyclone_1970.pdf|archive-date=June 22, 2007|title=East Bengal cyclone of November, 1970: Epidemiological approach to disaster assessment|last=Sommer| first=Alfred|author2=Mosley, Wiley|access-date=April 15, 2007|journal=[[The Lancet]]|date=May 13, 1972| volume=1| issue=7759| pages=1029–1036| pmid=4112181}}</ref>

The results showed that the highest survival rate was for adult males aged 15–49, while more than half the deaths were children under age 10, who only formed a third of the pre-cyclone population. This suggests that the young, old, and sick were at the highest risk of perishing in the cyclone and its storm surge. In the months after the storm, the mortality of the middle-aged was lower in the cyclone area than in the [[scientific control|control]] region, near [[Dhaka]]. This reflected the storm's toll on the less healthy individuals.<ref name="Lancet p. 7-8">{{cite journal | url=http://www.laskerfoundation.org/awards/library/sommer/pdfs/east_bengal_cyclone_1970.pdf | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070622000638/http://www.laskerfoundation.org/awards/library/sommer/pdfs/east_bengal_cyclone_1970.pdf | archive-date=June 22, 2007 | title=East Bengal cyclone of November, 1970: Epidemiological approach to disaster assessment | last=Sommer | first=Alfred |author2=Mosley, Wiley | access-date=April 15, 2007 | journal=[[The Lancet]] | date=May 13, 1972 | volume=1 | issue=7759 | pages=7–8| pmid=4112181 }}</ref>

== Aftermath ==
=== Government response ===
{{Quote box|align=right|width=40%|quote=There have been mistakes, there have been delays, but by and large I'm very satisfied that everything is being done and will be done.|source=[[Agha Muhammad Yahya Khan]]<ref name="NYT-6"/>}}

The day after the storm struck the coast, three Pakistani [[gunboat]]s and a [[hospital ship]] carrying medical personnel and supplies left Chittagong for the islands of [[Hatia]], [[Sandwip]] and [[Kutubdia]].<ref name="NYT-4"/> Teams from the [[Pakistani Army]] reached many of the stricken areas in the two days following the landfall of the cyclone.<ref name="NYT-7">{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1970/11/16/archives/toll-in-pakistan-is-put-at-16000-expected-to-rise-poor.html|title=Toll In Pakistan Is Put At 16,000, Expected To Rise|work=The New York Times|date=November 15, 1970}}</ref> President Khan visited East Pakistan on the way back from a trip to China. In a press conference in Dhaka, Khan accepted the government had made "slips" and "mistakes" in their relief effort for the cyclone victims of then [[East Pakistan]] (now [[Bangladesh]]) but he insisted that "everything was done within the limits of the Government." He then returned to Rawalpindi.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Schanberg  |first=Sydney |author-link=Sydney Schanberg |date=1970-11-28 |title=YAHYA CONCEDES 'SLIPS' IN RELIEF |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1970/11/28/archives/yahya-concedes-slips-in-relief-but-he-defends-government-against.html |access-date=2022-10-31 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=October 31, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221031115729/https://www.nytimes.com/1970/11/28/archives/yahya-concedes-slips-in-relief-but-he-defends-government-against.html |url-status=live }}</ref> No West Pakistani political leaders visited the East.<ref>{{Cite book |title=1971: A Global History of the Creation of Bangladesh |last=Raghavan |first=Srinath |publisher=Harvard University Press |year=2013 |isbn=978-0-674-72864-6 |location=Cambridge, Massachusetts |pages=32–33 |language=English}}</ref>

In the ten days following the cyclone, one military transport aircraft and three [[crop-dusting]] aircraft were assigned to relief work by the Pakistani central government.<ref name="NYT-9">{{cite news |date=November 22, 1970 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1970/11/24/archives/foreign-relief-spurred.html|title=Foreign Relief Spurred |work=The New York Times}}</ref> The central government said 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.<ref name="NYT-5"/> By 24 November, the central government had allocated a further US$116&nbsp;million to finance relief operations in the disaster area.<ref name="NYT-10">{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1970/11/24/archives/east-pakistani-leaders-assail-yahya-on-cyclone-relief.html|title=East Pakistani Leaders Assail Yahya on Cyclone Relief|work=The New York Times|agency=Reuters|date=November 23, 1970}}</ref> Khan arrived in Dhaka to take charge of the relief operations on 24 November. The governor of East Pakistan, Vice Admiral [[Syed Mohammad Ahsan|S. M. Ahsan]], denied charges that the armed forces had not acted quickly enough and said supplies were reaching all parts of the disaster area except for some small pockets.<ref name="NYT-11">{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1970/11/25/archives/yahya-directing-disaster-relief.html|title=Yahya Directing Disaster Relief |newspaper=The New York Times |agency=United Press International |date=November 24, 1970 |page=9}}</ref>

Khan said there was a lack of understanding of the magnitude of the disaster. He also said that the [[1970 Pakistani general election|1970 general election]] slated for 7 December would take place on time, although eight or nine of the worst affected districts might experience delays, denying rumours that the election would be postponed.<ref name="NYT-6">{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1970/11/28/archives/yahya-concedes-slips-in-relief-but-he-defends-government-against.html|last=Schanberg |first=Sydney |author-link=Sydney Schanberg |date=November 22, 1970|title=Yahya Condedes 'Slips' in Relief |work=The New York Times}}</ref>

As the conflict between East and West Pakistan developed in March 1971, the Dhaka offices of the two government organisations directly involved in relief efforts were closed for at least two weeks, first by a [[general strike]] and then by a ban on government work in East Pakistan by the [[Awami League]]. Relief work continued in the field, but the long-term planning was curtailed.<ref name="NYT-12">{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1971/03/12/archives/pakistanis-crisis-virtually-halts-rehabilitation-work-in-cyclone.html|last=Durdin |first=Tillman |date=March 11, 1971 |title=Pakistanis Crisis Virtually Halts Rehabilitation Work in Cyclone Region |newspaper=The New York Times |page=2}}</ref>

=== Criticism of government response ===
{{Quote box|align=right|quote=We have a large army, but it is left to the [[Royal Marines|British Marines]] to bury our dead.|source=[[Sheikh Mujibur Rahman]]<ref>{{cite book |date=1989 |editor1-last=Heitzman |editor1-first=James |editor2-last=Worden |editor2-first=Robert |chapter=Emerging Discontent, 1966–70 |chapter-url=http://countrystudies.us/bangladesh/16.htm |title=Bangladesh: A Country Study |url=http://countrystudies.us/bangladesh/ |location=Washington, D.C. |publisher=Federal Research Division, Library of Congress |page=29 |access-date=April 15, 2007 |archive-date=June 22, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110622211513/http://countrystudies.us/bangladesh/21.htm |url-status=live }}</ref>}}
Political leaders in East Pakistan were deeply critical of the central government's initial response to the disaster. A statement released by eleven East Pakistan politicians ten days after the storm charged the government with "gross neglect, callous indifference and utter indifference". They also accused President Khan of playing down the news coverage.<ref name="NYT-10"/> On November 19, students held a march in Dhaka in protest of the speed of the government response,<ref name="NYT-13">{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1970/11/19/archives/copter-shortage-balks-cyclone-aid-only-one-now-available-in-east.html|title=Copter Shortage Balks Cyclone Aid|work=The New York Times|date=November 18, 1970}}</ref> and [[Maulana Abdul Hamid Khan Bhashani]] addressed a rally of 50,000&nbsp;people on 24 November, when he accused the president of inefficiency and demanded his resignation. Khan's political opponents in West Pakistan accused him of bungling the efforts and some demanded his resignation.<ref name="NYT-11"/> Awami League leader [[Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman]] described the destruction caused by the cyclone akin to a "[[Holocaust]]" and condemned the military junta's response as "criminal negligence".<ref>{{Cite book |title=1971: A Global History of the Creation of Bangladesh |last=Raghavan |first=Srinath |publisher=Harvard University Press |year=2013 |isbn=978-0-674-72864-6 |location=Cambridge, Massachusetts |pages=33 |language=English}}</ref>

The [[Pakistan Red Crescent]] began to operate independently of the central government as the result of a dispute that arose after the Red Crescent took possession of twenty rafts donated by the [[British Red Cross]].<ref name=DailyTribune>{{cite news |date=November 23, 1970 |title=Pakistan relief program flounder as toll mounts |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/2956641/pakistan_relief_program_flounders_as/ |location=Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin |newspaper=The Daily Tribune |agency=Associated Press |page=3 |via=[[Newspapers.com]] |access-date=August 5, 2015 |archive-date=January 19, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160119062731/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/2956641/pakistan_relief_program_flounders_as/ |url-status=live }} {{Open access}}</ref> A pesticide company had to wait two days before it received permission for two of its crop dusters, which were already in the country, to carry out supply drops in the affected regions. The central government only deployed a single helicopter to relief operations, with Khan later stating that there was no point deploying any helicopters from West Pakistan as they were unable to carry supplies.<ref name="Stars-and-Stripes"/>

A reporter for the ''[[Pakistan Observer]]'' spent a week in the worst hit areas in early January 1971 and saw none of the tents supplied by relief agencies being used to house survivors and commented that the grants for building new houses were insufficient. The ''Observer'' regularly carried front-page stories with headlines like, "No Relief Coordination", while publishing government statements saying, "Relief operations are going smoothly." In January, the coldest period of the year in East Pakistan, the National Relief and Rehabilitation Committee, headed by the editor of ''[[The Daily Ittefaq|Ittefaq]]'', said thousands of survivors from the storm were "passing their days under [the] open sky". A spokesman said families who were made homeless by the cyclone were receiving up to 250&nbsp;[[Pakistani rupee|rupees]] (US$55 in 1971; {{Inflation|US|55|1971|2018|fmt=eq}}) to rebuild, but that resources were scarce and he feared the survivors would "eat the cash".<ref name="Long-Beach">{{cite news |last=Zeitlin |first=Arnold |date=January 13, 1971 |title=Pakistan Cyclone Relief Still Jumbled and Inadequate |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/2956692/pakistan_cyclone_relief_still_jumbled/ |newspaper=[[Long Beach Press-Telegram]] |agency=Associated Press |page=P-11 |via=[[Newspapers.com]] |access-date=April 15, 2007 |archive-date=January 19, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160119085947/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/2956692/pakistan_cyclone_relief_still_jumbled/ |url-status=live }} {{Open access}}</ref>

=== Political consequences ===
Due to the poor handling and the destructive aftermath of the Bhola Cyclone, leftist parties in both East and West Pakistan boycotted the 1970 Pakistani general election.<ref>{{Cite book |last=van Schendel |first=Willem |title=A History of Bangladesh |publisher=Cambridge University Press |year=2009 |isbn=9781108684644 |edition=2nd |location=Amsterdam |pages=125 |language=en}}</ref> This allowed the Awami League, headed by [[Sheikh Mujibur Rahman]], to win in a landslide victory. The elections for nine national assembly and eighteen provincial assembly seats had to be postponed until January 18 as a result of the storm.<ref name="Story-Pak">{{cite web |url=http://storyofpakistan.com/general-elections |access-date=April 15, 2007 |title=General Elections 1970 |first=Jin |last=Technologies |website=Story of Pakistan |date=June 1, 2003 |archive-date=December 28, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201228012008/http://storyofpakistan.com/general-elections/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

The central government's handling of the relief efforts helped exacerbate the bitterness felt in East Pakistan, swelling the resistance movement there. Funds only slowly got through, and transport was slow in bringing supplies to the devastated regions. As tensions increased in March 1971, foreign personnel evacuated because of fears of violence.<ref name="NYT-12"/> The situation deteriorated further and evolved into [[1971 Bangladesh genocide|the subsequent genocide]].<ref name="USAID">{{cite web |url=http://www.usaid.gov/our_work/humanitarian_assistance/disaster_assistance/publications/ofda_cjanalysis_02_21-2005.pdf |title=A Critical Juncture Analysis, 1964–2003 |last=Olson |first=Richard |date=February 21, 2005 |publisher=[[USAID]] |access-date=April 15, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070414002649/http://www.usaid.gov/our_work/humanitarian_assistance/disaster_assistance/publications/ofda_cjanalysis_02_21-2005.pdf |archive-date=April 14, 2007}}</ref>

=== International response ===
India became one of the first nations to offer aid to Pakistan, despite the generally poor [[Indo-Pakistani relations|relations]] between the two countries, and by the end of November had pledged US$1.3&nbsp;million (US$8.7 million in 2020 dollars) of assistance for the relief efforts.<ref name="NYT-14">{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1970/11/30/archives/pakistan-storm-relief-a-vast-problem-disaster-in-pakistan-created.html#:~:text=Pakistan%20herself%20has%20allocated%20%2415,clothing%2C%20and%20medicine%20worth%20%245%2C500.|title=Pakistan Storm Relief a Vast Problem|first=Richard|last=Halloran|work=The New York Times|date=November 29, 1970}}</ref> The Pakistani central government refused to allow the Indians to send supplies into East Pakistan by air, forcing them to be transported slowly by road instead.<ref name="NYT-15">{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1970/11/29/archives/pakistan-people-still-dying-because-of-inadequate-relief-job.html|last=Schanberg |first=Sydney |author-link=Sydney Schanberg |date=November 29, 1970 |title=People Still Dying Because Of Inadequate Relief Job |work=The New York Times}}</ref> The Indian government also said that the Pakistanis refused an offer of military aircraft, helicopters and boats from West Bengal to assist in the relief operation.<ref name="NYT-16">{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1970/11/26/archives/pakistan-leader-visits-survivors.html |last=Schanberg |first=Sydney |author-link=Sydney Schanberg |date=November 25, 1970 |title=Pakistan Leader Visits Survivors |work=The New York Times}}</ref>

[[President of the United States|U.S. President]] [[Richard Nixon]] allocated a $10&nbsp;million (${{Inflation|US|10|1970|fmt=c}}&nbsp;million in {{Inflation/year|US}}) grant to provide food and other essential relief to the survivors of the storm, and the U.S. ambassador to Pakistan pledged that he would "assist the East Pakistan government in every way feasible."<ref name=DailyRepublic>{{cite news |first=Arnold |last=Zeitlin |date=November 20, 1970 |title=Official Death Toll 148,116 |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/2956747/official_death_toll_148116/ |location=Mitchell, South Dakota |newspaper=The Daily Republic |agency=Associated Press |page=1 |via=[[Newspapers.com]] |access-date=April 15, 2007 |archive-date=January 19, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160119031853/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/2956747/official_death_toll_148116/ |url-status=live }} {{Open access}}</ref> The U.S. sent a number of blankets, tents and other supplies to East Pakistan. Six helicopters {{ndash}} two helicopters at an aid mission in Nepal and four from the U.S. {{ndash}} were also sent.<ref name="NYT-17">{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1970/11/18/archives/nixon-pledges-10million-aid-for-storm-victims-in-pakistan.html|title=Nixon Pledges $10-Million Aid For Storm Victims in Pakistan|first=James|last=Naughton|work=The New York Times|date=November 17, 1970}}</ref> Some 200,000&nbsp;tons of wheat were shipped from the U.S. to the stricken region.<ref name="Long-Beach"/> By the end of November, there were 38 helicopters operating in the disaster area, ten of which were British and ten American. The Americans had provided about fifty small boats and the British seventy for supply distribution.<ref name="NYT-14"/>

[[CARE (relief)|CARE]] halted aid shipments to East Pakistan the week after the cyclone hit because of unwillingness to let the Pakistani central government handle distribution.<ref name=DailyTribune/> However, by January 1971, they had reached an agreement to construct 24,000 cement brick houses at a cost of about $1.2&nbsp;million (${{Inflation|US|1.2|1971|fmt=c}}&nbsp;million in {{Inflation/year|US}}).<ref name="Long-Beach"/> American concerns about delays by the central government in determining how the relief should be used meant that US$7.5&nbsp;million (${{Inflation|US|7.5|1970|fmt=c}}&nbsp;million in {{Inflation/year|US}}) of relief granted by the [[United States Congress]] had not been handed over in March. Much of the money was [[earmark (politics)|earmarked]] to be spent on constructing cyclone shelters and rebuilding housing.<ref name="NYT-12"/> The American [[Peace Corps]] offered to send volunteers but were rebuffed by the central government.<ref name="NYT-14"/>

A [[Royal Navy]] [[task force]], centred on {{HMS|Intrepid|L11|6}} and {{HMS|Triumph|R16|6}}, left Singapore for the Bay of Bengal to assist with the relief efforts. They carried eight helicopters and eight landing craft, as well as rescue teams and supplies.<ref name=DailyRepublic/> Fifty soldiers and two helicopters were flown in ahead of the ships to survey the disaster area and bring relief work.<ref name="NYT-18">{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1970/11/21/archives/us-and-british-copters-arrive-to-aid-cyclone-area.html|title=U.S. and British Helicopters Arrive to Aid Cyclone Area|work=The New York Times|agency=Reuters|date=November 20, 1970}}</ref> The task force arrived off the East Pakistan coast on 24 November, and the 650 troops aboard the ships immediately began using [[landing craft]] to deliver supplies to offshore islands.<ref name="NYT-11"/> An appeal by the British [[Disasters Emergency Committee]] raised about £1.5&nbsp;million (£{{Inflation|GBP|1.5|1970|fmt=c}}&nbsp;million in {{Inflation/year|US}}) for disaster relief in East Pakistan.<ref name="NYT-14"/><ref name="DEC">{{cite web|title=DEC Appeals and Evaluations |url=http://www.dec.org.uk/index.cfm/asset_id,905/index.html |access-date=April 15, 2007 |publisher=Disasters Emergency Committee |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070407164040/http://www.dec.org.uk/index.cfm/asset_id%2C905/index.html |archive-date=April 7, 2007 |url-status=dead |df=mdy }}</ref>

The Canadian government pledged [[Canadian dollar|C$]]2&nbsp;million of assistance. France and [[West Germany]] both sent helicopters and various supplies worth US$1.3&nbsp;million.<ref name="NYT-14"/><ref name="NYT-18"/> [[Pope Paul VI]] announced that he would visit Dhaka during a visit to the Far East and urged people to pray for the victims of the disaster.<ref name="NYT-19">{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1970/11/23/archives/pope-to-visit-pakistan.html|title=Pope to Visit Pakistan|work=The New York Times|date=November 22, 1970}}</ref> The Vatican later contributed US$100,000 to the relief efforts.<ref name="NYT-14"/> By the start of 1971, four [[Soviet Union|Soviet]] helicopters were still operating in the region transporting essential supplies to hard-hit areas. The Soviet aircraft, which had drawn criticism from Bengalis, replaced the British and American helicopters that had operated immediately after the cyclone.<ref name="Long-Beach"/>

The government of Singapore sent a military medical mission to East Pakistan which arrived at Chittagong on 1 December. They were then deployed to [[Sandwip]] where they treated nearly 27,000&nbsp;people and carried out a smallpox [[vaccination]] effort. The mission returned to Singapore on 22 December, after bringing about $50,000 worth of medical supplies and fifteen tons of food for the victims of the storm.<ref name="MINDEF">{{cite web |url=http://www.mindef.gov.sg/imindef/about_us/history/birth_of_saf/v03n11_history.html |title=Medical Mission to East Pakistan |author=Choy Choi Kee |date=November 7, 1999 |website=[[Ministry of Defence (Singapore)|Ministry of Defence]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070626030809/http://www.mindef.gov.sg/imindef/about_us/history/birth_of_saf/v03n11_history.html |archive-date=June 26, 2007 |access-date=April 15, 2007}}</ref> The Japanese cabinet approved a total of US$1.65&nbsp;million of relief funds in December. The Japanese government had previously drawn criticism for only donating a small amount to relief work.<ref name="NYT-20">{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1970/12/03/archives/tokyo-increases-aid.html|title=Tokyo Increases Aid|work=The New York Times|date=December 2, 1970}}</ref> The first shipment of Chinese supplies was a planeload of 500,000 doses of cholera vaccine, which was not necessary as the country had adequate stocks.<ref name="NYT-15"/> The Chinese government sent US$1.2&nbsp;million in cash to Pakistan.<ref name="NYT-14"/> [[Mohammad Reza Pahlavi]] declared that the disaster was also an Iranian one and responded by sending two planeloads of supplies within a few days of the cyclone striking.<ref name="NYT-13"/> Many smaller, poorer Asian nations sent nominal amounts of aid.<ref name="NYT-14"/>

The [[United Nations]] donated US$2.1&nbsp;million in food and cash, while [[UNICEF]] began a drive to raise a further million.<ref name="NYT-14"/> UNICEF helped to re-establish water supplies in the wake of the storm, repairing over 11,000 wells in the months following the storm.<ref name="UNICEF">{{cite web|url=http://www.unicef.org/publications/files/1946-2006_Sixty_Years_for_Children.pdf#page=12|title=Sixty Years For Children|format=PDF|author=UNICEF|access-date=April 15, 2007| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20070413024515/http://www.unicef.org/publications/files/1946-2006_Sixty_Years_for_Children.pdf| archive-date= April 13, 2007 | url-status= live|author-link=UNICEF}}</ref> [[UN Secretary-General]] [[U Thant]] made appeals for aid for the victims of the cyclone and the civil war in August, in two separate relief programs. He said only about $4&nbsp;million had been contributed towards immediate needs, well short of the target of US$29.2&nbsp;million.<ref name="NYT-21">{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1971/08/14/archives/thant-again-asks-aid-to-pakistanis-says-cash-is-needed-to-buy-food.html|title=Thant Again Asks Aid To Pakistanis|first=Sam Pope|last=Brewer|work=The New York Times|date=August 13, 1971}}</ref> By the end of November, the [[League of Red Cross Societies]] had collected US$3.5&nbsp;million to supply aid to the victims of the disaster.<ref name="NYT-14"/>

The [[World Bank]] estimated that it would cost US$185&nbsp;million to reconstruct the area devastated by the storm. The bank drew up a comprehensive recovery plan for the Pakistani government. The plan included restoring housing, water supplies and infrastructure to their pre-storm state. It was designed to combine with a much larger ongoing flood-control and development program.<ref name="NYT-22">{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1970/12/03/archives/world-bank-offers-plan-to-reconstruct-east-pakistan.html|title=World Bank Offers Plan to Reconstruct East Pakistan|work=The New York Times|date=December 2, 1970}}</ref> The bank provided US$25&nbsp;million of credit to help rebuild the East Pakistan economy and to construct protective shelters in the region. This was the first time that the [[International Development Association|IDA]] had provided credit for reconstruction.<ref name="World-Bank">{{cite web|url=http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/EXTABOUTUS/EXTARCHIVES/0,,contentMDK:20485265~pagePK:36726~piPK:437378~theSitePK:29506,00.html |title=Cyclone Protection and Coastal Area Rehabilitation Project |year=2005 |publisher=[[World Bank]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070304022742/http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/EXTABOUTUS/EXTARCHIVES/0%2C%2CcontentMDK%3A20485265~pagePK%3A36726~piPK%3A437378~theSitePK%3A29506%2C00.html |archive-date=March 4, 2007 |access-date=April 15, 2007 |url-status=dead }}</ref> By the start of December, nearly US$40&nbsp;million had been raised for the relief efforts by the governments of 41 countries, organizations and private groups.<ref name="NYT-22"/>

==== The Concert for Bangladesh ====
{{main|The Concert for Bangladesh}}

In 1971, ex-[[The Beatles|Beatle]] [[George Harrison]] and musician [[Ravi Shankar]] were inspired to organize [[The Concert for Bangladesh]], in part from the Bhola cyclone, and from the civil war and genocide.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.beatlesbible.com/1971/08/01/live-concert-for-bangla-desh/|title=The Beatles Bible – Live: The Concert For Bangla Desh|access-date=May 3, 2016|date=August 1971|archive-date=May 27, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160527004918/http://www.beatlesbible.com/1971/08/01/live-concert-for-bangla-desh/|url-status=live}}</ref> Although it was the first [[benefit concert]] of its type, it was extremely successful in raising money, aid and awareness for the region's plight.

=== Post-disaster ===
In December 1970, the League of Red Cross Societies drafted a plan for immediate use should a comparable event to the cyclone hit other "disaster prone countries". A Red Cross official stated some of the relief workers sent to East Pakistan were poorly trained, and the organisation would compile a list of specialists. The [[United Nations General Assembly|UN General Assembly]] adopted a proposal to improve its ability to provide aid to disaster-stricken countries.

In 1966, the [[Red Crescent]] had begun to support the development of a cyclone warning system, which developed into a Cyclone Preparedness Programme in 1972, today run by the government of Bangladesh and the [[Bangladesh Red Crescent Society]]. The programme's objectives are to raise public awareness of the risks of cyclones and to provide training to emergency personnel in the coastal regions of Bangladesh.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.iawe.org/WRDRR_Bangladesh/Preprints/S4CPP.pdf|title=Cyclone Preparedness Programme (CPP) Bangladesh Red Crescent Society|website=iawe.org|access-date=November 13, 2016|archive-date=November 14, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161114003313/http://www.iawe.org/WRDRR_Bangladesh/Preprints/S4CPP.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref>

In the thirty years after the 1970 cyclone, over 200 cyclone shelters were constructed in the coastal regions of Bangladesh. When the [[1991 Bangladesh cyclone|next destructive cyclone]] approached the country in 1991, volunteers from the Cyclone Preparedness Programme warned people of the cyclone two to three days before it struck land. Over 350,000&nbsp;people fled their homes to shelters and other brick structures, while others sought high ground. While the 1991 cyclone killed over 138,000&nbsp;people, this was significantly less than the 1970 storm, partly because of the warnings sent out by the Cyclone Preparedness Programme. However, the 1991 storm was significantly more destructive, causing {{US$|1.5|link=yes}}{{nbsp}}billion (equivalent to ${{Inflation|US-GDP|1.5|1991|r=1}}{{nbsp}}billion in {{Inflation/year|US-GDP}}) compared to the 1970 storm's $0.086{{nbsp}}billion (equivalent to ${{Inflation|US-GDP|0.0864|1970|r=2}}{{nbsp}}billion in {{Inflation/year|US-GDP}}).<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.who.int/bulletin/volumes/90/2/11-088302/en/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131121203409/http://www.who.int/bulletin/volumes/90/2/11-088302/en/|url-status=dead|archive-date=November 21, 2013|title=WHO {{!}} Reduced death rates from cyclones in Bangladesh: what more needs to be done?|website=www.who.int|access-date=November 13, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.irinnews.org/feature/2008/01/30|title=Cyclone shelters save lives, but more needed|date=January 30, 2008|work=IRIN|access-date=November 13, 2016|archive-date=November 14, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161114002836/http://www.irinnews.org/feature/2008/01/30|url-status=live}}</ref>

Footage of the incident appeared in the film ''Days of Fury'' (1979), directed by Fred Warshofsky and hosted by [[Vincent Price]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=Watch Days of Fury (1979) on the Internet Archive|year=1979|url=https://archive.org/details/days-of-fury-1979}}</ref>

==In Books==
''The Vortex'' by Scott Carney and Jason Miklian focused on how Yayhia Khan's failure to respond to the aftermath of Bhola cyclone which sparked the 1971 Bangladesh war.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/reviews/story/scott-carney-jason-miklians-the-vortex-is-based-on-the-wild-theory-of-a-cyclone-splitting-pak-415091|title=Scott Carney & Jason Miklian's 'The Vortex' is based on the wild theory of a cyclone splitting Pak|publisher=Tribute India}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://theprint.in/pageturner/excerpt/just-kill-20000-bengalis-zulfikar-bhuttos-advice-to-yahya-khan-before-1971-war/971594/|title='Just kill 20,000 Bengalis': Zulfikar Bhutto's advice to Yahya Khan before 1971 war|date=May 27, 2022 |publisher=The Print}}</ref>

== See also ==
{{Portal|Tropical cyclones|Bangladesh|India|Pakistan}}
* [[List of Bangladesh tropical cyclones]]
* [[1991 Bangladesh cyclone]]
* [[1999 Odisha cyclone]]
* [[Cyclone Nargis]] (2008) – the deadliest named tropical cyclone worldwide in terms of direct fatalities.
* [[Cyclone Sidr]] (2007) – The next deadliest November cyclone that affected Bangladesh, killing an estimated 3,447–15,000 people.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/world/news/15112007news.shtml |title=BBC Weather Centre – World Weather – News – 15/11/2007 – Severe Cyclone Sidr hurtles towards Bangladesh |access-date=May 19, 2020 |archive-date=January 7, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080107010541/http://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/world/news/15112007news.shtml |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/1569832/Bangladesh-cyclone-death-toll-hits-15000.html|title=Bangladesh cyclone death toll hits 15,000|website=The Telegraph|date=November 18, 2007|access-date=May 19, 2020|archive-date=May 19, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110519162024/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/1569832/Bangladesh-cyclone-death-toll-hits-15000.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
* [[New Moor]]{{Snd}}Landmass that appeared in the aftermath of the cyclone in the [[Bay of Bengal]]
'''Other extremely deadly tropical cyclones outside the North Indian Ocean basin:'''
* [[Great Hurricane of 1780]] – The deadliest hurricane in the Atlantic basin
* [[1959 Mexico hurricane]] – The deadliest Pacific hurricane
* [[1973 Flores cyclone]] – The deadliest tropical cyclone recorded in the Southern Hemisphere
* [[Typhoon Nina (1975)]] – The deadliest Pacific typhoon and the third deadliest tropical cyclone overall

==References==
{{Reflist}}

== Further reading ==
* {{Cite book |last1=Carney |first1=Scott |first2=Jason |last2=Miklian |year=2022 |title=The Vortex: A True Story of History's Deadliest Storm, an Unspeakable War, and Liberation |location=New York |publisher=Ecco |isbn=978-0062985415 |oclc=1304903239}}

== External links ==
{{Commons category}}
* [http://tesla.liketelevision.com/liketelevision/tuner.php?channel=318&format=tv&theme=history On this day&nbsp;– liketelevision] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201115143417/http://tesla.liketelevision.com/liketelevision/tuner.php?channel=318&format=tv&theme=history |date=15 November 2020 }}

[[Category:1970 in India|Bhola Cyclone, 1970]]
[[Category:1970 in Pakistan|Bhola Cyclone, 1970]]
[[Category:1970 North Indian Ocean cyclone season|Bhola cyclone]]
[[Category:Environment of Bangladesh]]
[[Category:Environment of West Bengal]]
[[Category:Extremely severe cyclonic storms]]
[[Category:History of East Pakistan|Bhola Cyclone, 1970]]
[[Category:November 1970 events in Asia]]
[[Category:Tropical cyclones in 1970|Bhola Cyclone, 1970]]
[[Category:Tropical cyclones in Bangladesh]]
[[Category:Tropical cyclones in India]]