Bangladesh: Cyclone - Nov 1988
Disaster description
A cyclone with wind speeds above 150 km per hour crossed inland over the Patuakhali/Khulua coast during the night on 29 November 1988 ending in a cyclonic storm over Madaripur district, south of Dhaka. (UN DHA, 30 Nov 1988)
A UNDRO/UNDP Res rep reported that the most affected areas were Bagherhat, Barguna, Bhola, Jessore, Khulna, Patuakahli, Pirozpur, Satkhira and Sundarbans. (UN DHA, 1 Dec 1988)
The cyclone left a trail of devastation: human corpses, dead livestock, and wildlife were found scattered. The death toll was over 2,000, showing an upward trend with many fishermen still missing. Other official figures indicated crop damage in all affected districts on 160,000 hectares. Losses were estimated at 200,000 tons. Estimates of homeless were 2.5 million. (UN DHA, 12 Dec 1988)