<p>This article analyses the impact of destructive cyclones and recurring epidemics on governance, public health, and ecological fragility in Bengal from 1864 to 1942. Between the mid-nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, successive cyclones in Bengal in 1864, 1874, 1876, 1919, and 1942 were each followed by epidemics of cholera, smallpox, malaria, plague, and influenza. These catastrophes laid bare profound systemic weaknesses in the colonial rule system. Utilising archival sources, such as Sanitary Commissioner Reports, district files, proceedings of government, and contemporary studies, the paper argues that colonial policy was driven first and foremost by protecting revenues and the margins of administrative and fiscal stability. It argues that environmental degradation, administrative decisions and infrastructural disparities resulted in differential vulnerability in rural and coastal Bengal. The authorities introduced relief, vaccination, quarantine, and various building schemes, but these measures were varied and frequently brutal. The dynamics of 2nd World War, the Bengal cyclones, epidemics and their concomitant mortalities highlight the intricate nexus between natural disasters, epidemics and disease preparedness in the contexts of disaster and epidemics management. The study finds that responses in Bengal remained reactive and were marked by severe urban/rural dichotomies, overwhelming neglect of preventive infrastructure, and a continued focus on a bureaucratic economy. These constraints produced enduring legacies that shaped public health and disaster management in India and Bangladesh after decolonisation. This time frame demonstrates how the convergence of environmental disasters, colonial administrations, and public health issues shaped Bengal’s historical experience with disease and disaster.</p>