Pakistan 1963

International Operation Name: not applicable

International Operation Dates:  not applicable

Mandating Organization: Government of Canada

Region Name:  Asia

Location:  Pakistan

Canadian Operation Name: (Pakistan – 1963)

Canadian Operation Dates: 1963/06/01 – 1963/06/30

Mission Mandate: To provide humanitarian aid after a typhoon hit the region

Mission Notes:

Bangladesh (known as East Pakistan in 1963) is situated at the top of the Bay of Bengal.  Towards Bangladesh the waters of the Bay become shallower because of the silt deposited each year by the Ganges and Brahmaputra Rivers.  The two rivers have also created a very low, flat flood plain that forms most of Bangladesh. The Bay of Bengal has two cyclone seasons: May to July, and October to November.  In between these cyclone seasons are the monsoons, bringing heavy rains from June through September.  Bangladesh is thus very prone to flooding

Between 20 and 23 May, a cyclone slowly moved up the Bay of Bengal.  East Pakistan was flooded through storm surge and rain, with winds destroying many structures that were not flooded.  An estimated 22,000 people were killed, while a further 500,000 were left homeless.

In June, a 437 Squadron Yukon left RCAF Station Trenton with 12 ½ tons of supplies.  Besides medicine and clothing, the aircraft also carried six tons of equipment required to rebuild the electrical system destroyed by the cyclone.