Global warming "dry" run

[wintergr3y]

So my brother, who's an atmospheric scientist for NASA, sent me an email this morning:

"Still wondering why sea level rise is bad news for Bangladesh? Just tune-in to the evening news in about 24 hours or so and find out."

And he attached this image:



That, ladies and gentlemen, is a category 5 cyclone bearing down on some the most populated lowlands on the planet. It's expected to cause 10-20 foot storm surges in the region. The population density in the area is way, way, way bigger than the US Gulf Coast, with a fraction of the infrastructure that America enjoys. This could make Hurricane Katrina and the aftermath look like a windy summer rain storm during a Sunday afternoon picnic.

Naturally, the western media has been very late to pick up this story.

Update: Looks like Reuters picked up the story, and the storm is currently at category 4 strength.

Comments

[alem.livejournal.com]

*wince* Yowza.

[chrisfs.livejournal.com]

Daily Kos has an entry about it here
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2007/11/15/654/90654

[unseelie23.livejournal.com]

A similar storm in 1991(?) killed over 100,000 people if memory serves correct. It sounds like the Bangladeshi government does not expect the same level of casualties as they've been moving people to higher ground in advance.

Edit: And another cyclone in 1970 that killed over half a million.