Have you ever heard of the Bangladesh tornado of 1989? Well, you should have, because it is known as the largest, most destructive tornado in the history of the world, taking place on April 26, 1989, at 18:30 local time. Even though it is the deadliest, It was never given a proper name. This tornado moved east and eventually northeast from Daultapur to Saturia travelling a path 13 kilometers long and 1.3 kilometers wide. It was 50 miles away from Dhaka and hit 5 districts, with winds up to 125 mph.

The area that this tornado hit had experienced a six month drought, and all houses within a six square kilometer radius were destroyed, and thousands of trees were uprooted and blown away, leaving only a small amout of trees still in the ground. Nearly, if not more than, 1,300 were reported killed and 12,000 were injured. The towns of Saturia and Manikgank were leveled and  about 80,000 people were made homeless. It destroyed 90% of the homes and 153 villages, damaging countless crops.65 bodies were suspended in trees, 30,000 houses were destroyed, 1,600 cattle were lost, with about 10,000 families were affectected.

Bangladesh itself is 147,570 sq. kilometers in area, and shares borders with India, Burma, and the Bay of Bengal. It is also about16% rainforest. Weirdly enough, Bangladeash has a water percentage of 7%, yet tornadoes are very common there. Possible because of the monsoons that it gets, there are multiple opportunities for tornadoes to break out. The monsoons themselves cause a lot of flooding and mass property damage, as well as death. These monsoons also cause telecommunications to be closed. However, the area of Bangladesh the tornado hit was experiencing a 6-month drought, so that the tornado was pretty unexpected. However,high population density, flimsy housing, and a nonexistent tornado warning system mean killer tornadoes are all too common there.

Even though according to many meteorologists the US gets the most tornadoes, in reality, Bangladesh gets tornadoes of equal severity of thoses in the US, but with far more frequency. However, most of these don't get reported because of the lack of media coverage in third world countries. The annual death toll due to tornadoes in Bangladesh is about 179 people, which is A LOT more than the US. 

   Bangladesh is widely known as a land of natural diasters. It is especially vulnerable to hood, cyclone and river erosion. Tornadoes, floods, and vicious thunderstorms are a common phenominon, and has put the country into perminate distress for decades, also causing quite a bit of political unrest.

The tornado in question most likely started up at about the time when the monsoons come bearing rain. It whipped up in the Bay of Bengal and proceeded to enter onto the land. Even though the tornado wasn't an F5, the country was-and is- densely populated, and killed many people before dying down. Even though this was the deadliest single tornado in the history of the world, there is hardly anything about it.

TORNADO SAFETY KIT

If a tornado ever hit your community you should be prepared. If your are not prepared yet here is a list of items that should keep you safe.

 . a Battery charged radio(with extra batteries)

 . Plenty of canned or non perishable food and bottled water( hand operated can opener )

 . Plywood, nails, and a hammer(to cover windows)

 . First aid kit

 . Matches and/or lighter

 .Sturdy boots and workmans gloves