Survival mechanisms to cope with the 1996 tornado in Tangail, Bangladesh : a case study.

Bibliography: p. 20

On May 13, 1996, a disastrous tornado ripped through northcentral Bangladesh, killing more that 700 people and injuring at least 33, 000 in a 20-minute outburst of destruction. The 125-mph winds of the twister tore through 6 thanas, 16 unions, and 80 villages of the Tangail district. The tornado completely destroyed 17,000 houses and partially destroyed 7,000 more. The objective of this report is twofold: to examine the extent of damage caused by the tornado in the study area, and, to explore and analyze how victims adjusted to the destruction. Data collected from the two study sites clearly show that victims received emergency assistance and other support from people in neighboring and more distant areas, as well as from government agencies and non-governmental organizations (NGOs). At both sites, NGOs played the leading role in minimizing hardships of victims through extraordinary disaster relief and rehabilitation work and through the provision of financial aid. Because of the support received from the many relief organizations involved, the tornado victims were able to return to their lives very quickly