Baltimore -- Cyclone Sidr hit the coastal part of Bangladesh on November 15. The category
5 cyclone has already claimed more than 3,000 lives with the death toll still rising. The extent of the devastation caused from the cyclone is not yet known, but this cyclone is said to be more
violent than the cyclone that occurred in April 1991 which left 143,000 people dead.With winds of 220-240km (136 -149 mph) an hour the hurricane has destroyed homes, crops, schools and roads as
well as causing electricity and communications problems. Hundreds of thousands of people have been evacuated from their homes and are taking refuge in cyclone shelters and schools while some are
living without any shelter or protection from the elements. Lutheran World Relief is a contributing member of Action by Churches Together (ACT) who will be sending $50,000 initially to aid in
the cyclone relief. The LWR-ACT response includes family relief packages comprising of essential food items such as rice, beans, edible oil, salt and oral dehydration saline. The relief packages will
aid more than 7,000 families (over 35,000 individuals). Special attention is being paid to women, children, the elderly and disabled. LWR-ACT anticipates to have dispersed all packages within three
weeks. You can help with a gift to LWR. Give online at lwr.org; by phone at 1-800-LWR-LWR-2 (597-5972), or by mailing a check or money order to:Lutheran World ReliefAsia
Disaster ResponseP.O. Box 17061Baltimore, MD 21298-9832USAYour gift will be used to respond to the Asia Disaster Response until needs there are met. After that, further
gifts will be used to help LWR respond where the need is greatest. Please also consider making an unrestricted donation which will enable LWR to respond quickly to the next
emergency.
[ Any views expressed in this article are those of the writer and not of Reuters. ]
