Jun 1, 2009, 5:36 GMT
Dhaka - The US government offered Bangladesh disaster relief assistance to victims of last week's cyclone Aila that wrecked parts of the coast, the US embassy in Dhaka said Monday.
US Ambassador James Moriarty issued a disaster declaration to provide initial emergency assistance worth about 295,000 dollars.
The emergency survival packs include plastic sheeting, eating utensils, candles, rope, soap, matches and mosquito netting to be distributed to victims in the southern districts, the embassy said.
The cyclone slammed Bangladesh's coastal area on May 25, killing at least 179 people and leaving tens of thousands others homeless, as well as causing an outbreak of water-borne illnesses.
Authorities in Bangladesh said Sunday that they would need foreign aid to feed and rehabilitate the huge number of cyclone victims, many of whom were still living on the waysides as their homes washed away in the huge water surge.
The US embassy said that it deployed 14 mobile water-purification machines to supply drinking water.
The US government provided 111.5 million dollars in the aftermath of cyclone Sidr in November 2007.
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