Thousands killed in Bangladesh disaster by Corina Ciubotaru

A massive storm has killed more than 3,000 people in Bangladesh and left millions more homeless during the last week. Cyclone Sidr wiped out entire villages, flattening huts and blowing off rooftops, crushing people under debris. At least 1,000 more victims are expected to be retrieved from the sea and the nearby river in the following days but the recovery effort has already begun with government money amounting $5.2 million that can be supplemented with aid from the U.S., the United Nations, France, Germany and the European Union if Bangladesh decides to ask for more money. The government is confident that they will be able to overcome the problem and reconstruct homes, but the major issue right now is being able to help those in need with short-term supplies like food and water. The U.N. says the relief operations are intended to intensify soon. The level of destruction is not as high as initially expected but due to the low landscape and quality of building materials in the region, reconstructing will take a lot of work and time. Large croplands have been seriously damaged by the cyclone so the outlook on the future isn't very optimistic either, especially since farmlands had been already affected by severe floods in August. Red Crescent workers and a U.S. military team are on the spot, helping people in this poor part of Bangladesh; the country has been previously devastated by a tropical storm in 1991, which claimed around 140,000 lives. Since then, warning systems have been constructed to help people escape nature's fury.

related story: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071118/ap_on_re_as/bangladesh_cyclone;_ylt=AiaMhWqaTxfpoyl2omTTNoes0NUE

by Corina Ciubotaru for PocketNews (http://pocketnews.tv)

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