Rescue workers are fighting to reach coastal towns in Bangladesh, where a powerful cyclone has killed at least 1,861 people and left hundreds of thousands of survivors injured and without homes.
The deadliest storm to hit the low-lying South Asian country in a decade, Tropical Cyclone Sidr destroyed tens of thousands of southwest Balgladesh homes and vital crops Thursday. More than one million coastal inhabitants have evacuated their homes for government shelters.
International agencies and local government officials are traveling by foot, bicycle and naval ship to bring food and water to stranded villagers; roads, however, have been difficult to clean in the storm's aftermath.
The national government has invested $5.2 million in emergency aid for rebuilding houses, according to a government statement. Additionally, the U.S. government has provided an initial $2.1 million in emergency relief aid, according to a statement from White House Press Secretary Dana Perino. The German government allocated $731,345, and the European Union released $2.2 million to help the nation and its cyclone victims.
An estimated 2.7 million people were affected by the cyclone and 773,000 homes damanged, according to the Ministry of Disaster Management. Approximately 250,000 head of cattle and poultry were killed in the storm and nearly 77,450 acres of cropland wiped out.
Source: Associated Press
