PREPARATION
You may be shocked at the sheer number of killed, injured, and homeless seen in the facts page. You may think that those numbers are because of the extreme size and power of the tornado. However, the size and wind speed of the tornado likely only caused half of the problem. Poor preparation and tornado awareness not up to par may have accounted for most of the death and damage that ensured.
What you see above is what saves hundreds, if not thousands of lives every year in the United States. Storm shelters come in many forms, whether they are reinforced interior rooms and basements, or practically primitive, shovel-dug underground shelters with wooden planks supporting the roof. The Daulatpur-Saturia, known as the deadliest tornado in history occurred in 1989. Absolutely no tornado warning system was in place, and there were no standard safety procedures for a tornado. In the early 80's in Amarillo, Texas, and today in fact, citizens took shelter in interior bathrooms, or in underground shelters/basements if their home had one. Tornado sirens were sounded when a tornado touched down or when conditions were perfect for the deadly storm. TV and radio warnings were issued. Houses were built more sturdily than those in less tornado-prone areas. These tornado warning systems and protective measures saved lives and property.
In the suburbs of Daulatpur and Saturia, tornado warnings were non-existent, and still are. There are no government-issued warnings, or even private companies doing the job. The public is was and is not educated on how to take cover during a tornado, despite the fact that dozens of tornadoes touch down every year in the small nation. If the Bangladeshi government uses the television and radio to send out tornado warnings (despite the fact that Bangladesh ranks 140 out of 200 on the Human Development Index, about 13% of Bangladesh owns a television and about 25% owns a radio), lives could be saved.
The people of Bangladesh should be educated on how to prepare for a storm, whether it be building sturdier houses and basements, or even just knowing the conditions for the possible creation of a tornado. If the U.S. government takes action to inform the Bangladesh government on how to prepare their citizens, these catastrophic results will not occur.
In the suburbs of Daulatpur and Saturia, tornado warnings were non-existent, and still are. There are no government-issued warnings, or even private companies doing the job. The public is was and is not educated on how to take cover during a tornado, despite the fact that dozens of tornadoes touch down every year in the small nation. If the Bangladeshi government uses the television and radio to send out tornado warnings (despite the fact that Bangladesh ranks 140 out of 200 on the Human Development Index, about 13% of Bangladesh owns a television and about 25% owns a radio), lives could be saved.
The people of Bangladesh should be educated on how to prepare for a storm, whether it be building sturdier houses and basements, or even just knowing the conditions for the possible creation of a tornado. If the U.S. government takes action to inform the Bangladesh government on how to prepare their citizens, these catastrophic results will not occur.