The cyclone that broke Pakistan’s back

It wiped out villages. Destroyed crops. Over 3.6 million people were directly affected. Most estimates suggest that half a million died; some suggest as many as one million perished. Nearly 85 per cent of the area was destroyed. Three months after the catastrophe some 75 per cent of the population was receiving food from relief workers.

It happened in Pakistan. Yet few Pakistanis even know of it by name. Fewer still remember that it eventually contributed to Pakistan’s break-up. The 1970 Cyclone Bhola hit then East Pakistan on November 12, 1970.

Historians tend to agree that although there were many other forces at work, the devastation caused by the cyclone and the widespread view that the government had mismanaged the relief efforts and West Pakistan had generally shown an attitude of neglect, contributed to high levels of anti-West Pakistan feeling, a sweeping victory for the Awami League, and eventually the breakup of Pakistan and the creation of Bangladesh.

Such, then, are the forces of nature. And such are the forces of history.

As we hear newspaper headlines proclaiming the historic magnitude and devastation wrought by the floods on our plains, it is worth remembering that 40 years ago The New York Times was describing another calamity in Pakistan as the “worst catastrophe of the century”. Much more importantly, we should pay close attention to the lessons of history, and the lessons of nature.

The lesson of how policy mismanagement led to public dissatisfaction and eventually contributed to national dismemberment. Of course, this is not an entirely parallel situation since so much more had already gone wrong in the East Pakistan case — and the cyclone was a contributor to, not the cause, of how history unfolded — but Bhola’s lessons should not be lost on the politicians, policy-makers and people of Pakistan.

Heavy rain batters Gwadar, cyclone eyes Karachi

QUETTA / KARACHI: Widespread torrential rains, accompanied by cyclonic winds, lashed the Makran coast and parts of central Makran on Friday.

Cyclone Phet hit Makran coast and started moving towards Karachi and other parts of Sindh in the afternoon.

Navy personnel rescued six fishermen trapped in the cyclone two kilometers off Jiwani.

Hundreds of fishing boats were reported missing in Gwadar, Pasni, Jiwani and Peshkan areas.

At least 25 people were injured.

Cyclone Phet moves past Karachi, hits Thatta

KARACHI: According to Met Department the Cyclone Phet has moved past Karachi without hitting the coast and now passing along the coastal line of Thatta.

More rains are also expected in Karachi, Met Office said.

Moreover cycle control center said that Coastal belt will experience heavy rainfall within 24 hours.

Earlier Director General of Meteorological Department Qamaruz Zaman Chaudhry said Cyclone Phet had hit south of Karachi on Sunday evening. The intensity of the cyclone was category one and the costal areas of Thatta and Karachi were the center of the cyclone.

Zaman said the cyclone would cause 3 to 5-meter high waves in Thatta’s coastal areas, while 2 to 4-meter high waves were expected in Karachi’s coastal areas. According to Met Department, more downpours were expected during the next 36 to 48 hours.

Cyclone Phet enters Sindh

KARACHI: Cyclone Phet advanced into Sindh wreaking havoc in some areas, while skipping over Karachi.

The overall death toll since its entry into Pakistan stood at 8 on Sunday evening, with dozens injured. The cyclone was downgraded to a tropical depression but Sindh is expected to receive rain till Monday evening.

End of live coverage

8:00pm

The Meteorological Department has said the outer circle of the Phet cyclone has hit Thatta and Badin while the central circle of the storm will make landfall in two hours. See photos throughout the day here. It has been confirmed that Karachi will not bear the brunt of the storm.

Cyclone Phet down to one

KARACHI: The latest storm path forecast on tropicalstormrisk.com shows Phet downgrading to a Category-1 tropical storm before it hits the Pakistan coastline.

Authorities have already evacuated nearly 1,000 people and were on standby for more. In a worst-case scenario up to 50,000 people could be affected on Pakistan’s coast, said Commander Salman Ali, a spokesman for Pakistan Navy in Karachi.

Although the storm has weakened significantly, it manged to kill two people in Oman on Friday. Oman also halted its oil and gas production as Phet hit the country’s coast, but no facilities were damaged, DPO and Oman LNG spokesmen said. Phet hit Sur, where Oman’s three LNG production facilities, known as trains, were located, but no damage was reported.

Pakistan evacuates 60,000 as cyclone Phet looms

KARACHI: A major cyclone was closing in on Pakistan’s coastline, where the president ordered immediate precautionary measures and around 60,000 residents were being evacuated Thursday, officials said.

Tens of thousands were being evacuated from vulnerable coastal villages in the southern province of Sindh and another half a million could be affected in Balochistan province if Cyclone Phet smashes into Pakistan.

President Asif Ali Zardari ordered the military and government to take “immediate precautionary measures” as the tropical cyclone approached.

Sindh, Balochistan face cyclone threat

A red flag warning Danger has been hoisted by the Pakistani Navy. A sea storm in the Arabian Sea and According to Cyclone alert-2, the tropical cyclone, located some 1100 kilometers south-southwest of Karachi is expected to move initially in a north-westerly direction in the next 24 hours. After that it is expected to re-curve in northeasterly direction towards Indian Gujrat and Sindh coast. –Online Photo/S A Siddiqi

KARACHI: As tropical cyclone Phet travels northwards towards Sindh’s coastal areas and is expected to hit them on Friday waves in the sea have already started swelling and rains were reported in some parts of the interior of the province on Wednesday.

Dr Qamar-uz-Zaman Chaudhry, director general of the Meteorological Department, said that Phet would hit the Omani coast on Thursday morning. It was expected to re-curve towards Sindh coastal areas, including Karachi, on Thursday afternoon and hit them on Friday afternoon.

Lower Sindh, Karachi to have heavy rains on Friday

KARACHI: Met office said Tuesday that lower parts of Sindh including Karachi are likely to have a widespread heavy rainfall alongwith strong dust storm on Friday and Saturday.

According to Cyclone alert-2, the tropical cyclone, located some 1100 kilometers south-southwest of Karachi is expected to move initially in a north-westerly direction in the next 24 hours. After that it is expected to re-curve in northeasterly direction towards Indian Gujrat and Sindh coast.

The tropical cyclone is expected to further intensify into a severe tropical cyclone after crossing 20 degree north on Thursday causing a widespread rain with scattered heavy fall accompanies with gusty winds (60 to 80 knots) along Sindh Makran coast from Thursday evening to Saturday.