U.S. Navy helicopters began delivering essential supplies Monday to Bangladeshi cyclone survivors along southern coastal areas in a joint relief operation, Bangladesh's army chief said, according to AP. Helicopters from the USS Kearsarge, a multipurpose amphibious U.S. Navy ship off the Bangladesh coast, started airlifting 5,000 refillable 21 liter (5.5 gallon) water containers to remote areas of the country's worst-affected districts of Dublar Char, Bagherat and Barguna. «Our first priority is get food, water and clothes to the survivors,» Bangladesh Chief of Army Staff Gen. Moeen U. Ahmed said after meeting U.S. officials Sunday to assess the needs of the relief operation. «We discussed how to do this effectively with the assets we have,» he added. «We will fill the requirements as identified by the Bangladesh military,» said U.S. Brig. Gen. Ronald L. Bailey, who is coordinating the relief operation. Bailey said the relief operation would be a partnership, based on «a friendship developed many years ago.» Bailey is the deputy commander of the 3rd Marine Expeditionary Brigade, based in Okinawa, Japan. The U.S. troops will also deliver food packages and other emergency supplies, help set up water purification plants and provide medical care to the cyclone victims in the coming days, the army officials said. The Americans also plan to help airlift 160 tons of relief goods from Bangladesh government supplies, a U.S. Embassy news release said. A U.S. military KC-130 aircraft, meanwhile, arrived at Dhaka's international airport Monday to deliver water purification systems to affected areas, the release added. With many wells destroyed by the cyclone, there is a critical need for clean water supplies to prevent the spread of cholera and severe diarrhea. The embassy statement also said a U.S. Army medical team, which was already in Bangladesh on a separate exercise, was deployed to Pataukhali district along with medics from the Kearsarge. The U.S. team also plans to provide medical assistance in four other affected areas in the coming days. The Bangladesh military, meanwhile, was constructing more than 200 helipads in the coastal region, which can be used by choppers to make relief sorties, Gen. Ahmed said. The Bangladesh army was also providing tents and plastic sheets for temporary shelters, while the government will give loans and materials to rebuild homes, he added. More than 450,000 homes were damaged by the cyclone, according to official estimates. At least 13 Bangladesh Navy ships were also involved in relief work in the coastal areas, distributing food and clothes. India and Pakistan have also sent military planes and hospital ships, an army statement said. The official death toll from the devastating storm, which hit the Bangladesh coast Nov. 15, rose to 3,243, a government control room said Monday. The Food and Disaster Management Ministry control room said at least 34,500 people were injured and 1,180 others missing.
