May 29, 2009
At least 210 people died as a result of Cyclone Aila, which hit Bangladesh and the Indian state of West Bengal on Monday (May 25).
Situation
At least 210 people died as a result of Cyclone Aila, which hit Bangladesh and the Indian state of West Bengal on Monday (May 25). The storm has left at least 500,000 homeless, the BBC reported, though there are reports of four times that number displaced, and there is desperate need for fresh water and food, officials said.
CWS Response
CWS will support efforts by fellow Action by Churches Together members. Lutheran World Service India is assessing needs in West Bengal and has begun distribution of some non-food items, including plastic sheeting, to 3,000 families. Long-time CWS partner Church's Auxiliary for Social Action plans to provide food and plastic sheeting to 4,000 families.
CWS plans to issue an appeal for this emergency once more information from ACT partners about their response becomes available.
How to help
Contributions to support Church World Service emergency response and recovery efforts may be made online, by phone (800.297.1516), or sent to Church World Service, P.O. Box 968, Elkhart, IN 46515.
[ Any views expressed in this article are those of the writer and not of Reuters. ]
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