Geneva, Nov 21 (AP) The dramatic lowering of the death toll in Bangladesh's cyclone demonstrates the value of linking the world s weather satellites and other steps that are being taken to curb such disasters, an intergovernmental group said today.

"Bangladesh has a long history of major cyclones that have killed tens and even hundreds of thousands of people," said the 73-nation Group on Earth Observations, a new body that is working to link the weather satellites of different countries to benefit all parts of the world. Jose Achache, director of the group s secretariat, said the "long-overdue" idea of sharing is already having an impact two years after it began to be implemented, building on advances in earth observation, disaster preparations and early warning

But the system of sharing information is still "rickety" and much more has to be done, Achache said, noting a Bangladesh-born hurricane expert in the United States said he had to make his own calculations based on the available information and warn authorities in his homeland.

Hurricane expert Hassan Mashriqui of Louisiana State University said in the United States that his warning by e-mail to Bangladesh authorities helped guide the evacuation that saved lives.

The forecast raised the "highest possible red flag," Mashriqui said in a telephone interview. "I was told that the secretary who was making (evacuation) decisions got that through personal delivery. And they say it helped them quickly decide how to evacuate, where to evacuate."

Source : PTI