The Adventist Development and Relief Agency is passing out food and supplies to survivors of a cyclone that hit the southwestern coast of Bangladesh late last month.

Cyclone Aila killed nearly 200 people and left hundreds of thousands homeless, relief workers in the region said. Aila also destroyed homes, businesses and thousands of acres of cropland, officials from ADRA said.

"Many villages are still underwater, and because of the rainfall we are afraid that the situation of survivors will continue to deteriorate," said Elidon Bardhi, country director for ADRA Bangladesh. "Currently, people are in desperate need for basic necessities, including medical assistance, food, and clean water."

ADRA, the aid organization for the Seventh-day Adventist Church, is distributing emergency supplies to survivors throughout the severely affected area near the Bangladesh and India border. Workers are providing food and water purification tablets to 1,200 affected families.

In some low-lying areas, seawater has contaminated water supplies, leaving communities with little or no access to drinking water, ADRA officials said.

"People were very happy to receive the emergency supplies," Bardhi said. "At least for now they will be able to forget their hunger and focus on the recovery process."

Local officials said ADRA was the first aid organization to distribute relief supplies in the region after the cyclone hit.

In neighboring eastern India, Cyclone Aila also killed a least 150 people and left more than 150,000 homeless. The heavy rain caused numerous landslides and damaged large agricultural areas.

About 80 percent of Bangladesh's rain accumulation occurs during the annual monsoon season, which lasts from June to October. Bangladesh is particularly vulnerable due to its general low elevation and high population density.

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