Presentation on Bangladesh Cyclone at the 11th IAVE A-P Regional Volunteer Conf Nagoya, Dec 8, 2007

Brief presentation on the November 15 Cyclone in Bangladesh
Omar F. Chowdhury, Founder and Secretary of IAVE Bangladesh

Basic information about Bangladesh

• The country is bounded by India in the west, north, northeast and east by Myanmar in the SE and by the Bay of Bengal in the south.
• The area is 56,977 square miles
• Total population is 144.2 million (2005)
• 80% of the population lives in rural areas
• Climatically the country is vulnerable to natural disasters
• It has one of the largest river systems in the world

How Cyclone Sidr developed and hit and crossed the country

• Sidr is a category-4 hurricane, deadlier than Katrina. The size was twice as big as Bangladesh.

Death toll, loses - estimated facts and figures

• The total death toll is 8,000, which was reduced thanks to good disaster management. 40% are believed to be children. 38,000 houses were destroyed. 1.25 million livestock were lost. 8.5m people directly affected. 2,355 schools were damaged. Many of the children who survived are now orphaned. Children under 5 and new/pregnant mothers are the worst affected.

Cyclone Sidr struck on November 15. In some areas there were 6-meter tidal waves. At least 620,000 were evacuated.