Disaster in Bangladesh: death toll at 500 and rising from Cat. 4 Cyclone Sidr

Remember the tropical cyclone that I said was "threaten[ing] massive loss of life" along the Bengal Bay coast? Well, at least 500 people are dead in Bangladesh -- and because these are early reports, and this is the third world, I have no doubt that the number will rise significantly.

Cyclone Sidr didn't weaken at the last minute, as was predicted, and instead made landfall as a strong Category 4 with 150 mph winds, according to Dr. Jeff Masters. But the real problem isn't the wind; it's the water. As Dr. Masters points out, "The big killer in Bangladesh cyclones is the storm surge. The triangular shape of Bengal Bay funnels high surges into the apex of the triangle where Bangladesh sits, and the shallow bottom of the bay allows extraordinarily high storm surges to pile up."

The good news, relatively speaking, is that "the portion of coast likely to receive the highest storm surge levels of 20-25 feet is virtually unpopulated" -- specifically, the coastal regions of the "Sundarbans Forest, the world's largest forest of mangrove trees ... [which] is the least populated coastal area in the country." However, 10-to-20-foot surge still likely affected "areas with a population of at least a million, to the east of the Sundarbans forest, and inland from the forest."

I assume the death toll will ultimately be well into the thousands, which will make the notion that "it could have been worse," while true, seem rather hollow.

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[I R A Darth Aggie]

I assume the death toll will ultimately be well into the thousands, which will make the notion that "it could have been worse," while true, seem rather hollow.

Already up to 1,100 and climbing, I'm sure. And while that may seem hollow, it really isn't. A little light reading on 1970 Bhola cyclone, which claimed at least 500,000 lives.