Nearly 29,000 people lost their lives in Galachipa alone in a single night's storm

It was November 12, 1970. There were patches of clouds in the daytime sky. No one could have understood that as night would fall, a terrible disaster would descend upon the coastal settlements.

The catastrophic cyclone and storm surge that rushed in from the Bay of Bengal instantly devastated the southern region of the erstwhile East Pakistan. Countless settlements were wiped out. The cries of those who lost loved ones, the wailing of those searching for the missing, and the sight of bodies scattered everywhere remain witnesses to this day of a horrific humanitarian catastrophe.

One of the most affected areas in that disaster was Patuakhali. Especially, in Galachipa, Amtali, Kalapara, and the coastal island areas, a procession of death descended. According to government statistics, 47,848 people lost their lives in the greater Patuakhali district due to the cyclone and storm surge. Another 165 went missing. However, based on the recollections of local people and various private sources, it is believed that the actual number of deaths was even higher.

According to government figures, the highest number of deaths in the district occurred in the then Galachipa Thana. At that time, Dashmina and Rangabali were also part of Galachipa Thana. In that area, 28,718 people lost their lives. In addition, information shows 9,223 deaths in Amtali, 4,609 in Kalapara, 2,997 in Bauphal, 1,700 in Mirzaganj, 29 in Patuakhali Sadar, 245 in Barguna Sadar, 74 in Betagi, 213 in Patharghata, and 40 in Bamna.

Behind these statistics lie the stories of countless families being torn apart. The reporter himself was a member of one such family. His parents lost one brother and two sisters among five siblings. Fortunately, they themselves and two other children of the family survived. The reporter was born long after that event. From childhood, he witnessed his mother's wailing and sleepless nights in grief over losing her children. He also cried along with his mother. His mother is no longer alive today.

Island after island were wiped out by the cyclone. The most affected were the isolated char areas surrounded by the sea and rivers. A terrible catastrophe also descended upon Char Montaz Island in present-day Rangabali Upazila. According to locally circulating information, at that time the island had a population of 10,000 to 12,000 people. After the cyclone and storm surge, the number of surviving people was negligible. In many families, no one survived at all.

In vast areas of the coast, houses, crop fields, and livestock were washed away in the storm surge waters. People's means of livelihood were destroyed. Bodies were scattered in rivers, canals, bills, and water bodies. In some places, wives lost husbands; in others, parents lost children. And in some families, no one remained to survive.The cyclone of 1970 is known as the "Bhola Cyclone." It is considered the deadliest tropical cyclone in world history. The cyclone, which began on the night of November 12, wreaked havoc on the coastal areas until November 13. Low-lying areas and islands were flooded by abnormally high storm surges accompanied by fierce winds.According to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), approximately 300,000 to 500,000 people lost their lives in this cyclone. On the other hand, historical information from Bangladesh's Cyclone Preparedness Programme (CPP) mentions the deaths of about 1 million people. Although sources differ on the number of deaths, there is no doubt that it was one of the most catastrophic natural disasters in the world.That cyclone changed the lives of coastal people. Many people lost their homesteads, land, and their only means of livelihood. They carried that wound for a long time. This experience brought to the fore the importance of disaster preparedness, early warning, shelter construction, and volunteer activities in coastal areas. In the subsequent period, Bangladesh's Cyclone Preparedness Programme played an important role in protecting coastal communities from disaster risks.Even after 56 years, the memory of that terrible night still circulates in the mouths of people in the coastal settlements of Patuakhali. Especially for the elders of Galachipa and Rangabali, November 12, 1970, was a night of unbearable sorrow.Deep respect for the memory of the millions of people who lost their lives in the cyclone and storm surge of that day. This reporter offers his heartfelt condolences to the members of the grieving families.