The death toll continued to rise Monday in Bangladesh as rescue and relief efforts began reaching remote areas devastated by Cyclone Sidr.

Officials put the death toll at more than 3,000 and Bangladesh's Red Crescent society said the number could exceed 10,000. Aid agency Save the Children said as many as 15,000 may have died. More than 2,000 people were reported missing.

The storm, which hit Thursday, destroyed some 500,000 homes and left millions homeless. It wiped out or washed away crops and knocked out the power grid.

Disaster response organizations worldwide were attempting to provide survivors with basic necessities, including water, rice, medicine and shelter.

One report from the area said rescuers and the military still had not reached 30 percent of the villages battered by the cyclone. Other reports said that most of the remote areas affected by the storm had been reached.

Faith-based organizations – many under the umbrella of Action by Churches Together (ACT) International - were among the groups that have launched relief efforts throughout the country or were conducting assessments to determine how to respond.

Five ACT members - Christian Commission for Development Bangladesh, Social Health and Education Development Board, Lutheran Health Care Bangladesh, the Church of Bangladesh and Christian Aid – were coordinating efforts to provide emergency food, medical support and temporary shelter, the organization said.

ACT said it was providing emergency support for more than 35,500 people in southern Bangladesh. Assistance included rice, salt, oil and oral rehydration salts and pulses (legumes).

"The initial assistance, supported by the ACT Rapid Response Fund, will ensure two meals a day for at least five days, targeting particularly vulnerable groups of people including widows, children, the elderly, disabled and those without land in the districts of Bagerhat, Barisal, Gopalganj, Khulna and Madarapur," ACT officials reported on their Web site.

ACT, based in Geneva, Switzerland, is a global alliance of churches and related agencies working to save lives and support communities in emergencies worldwide

Among others responding were Adventist Development and Relief Agency International, Baptist World Aid, Catholic Relief Services and Christian Reformed World Relief Committee (CRWRC), which was working with Bangladeshi partner Lutheran Health Care Bangladesh.

Others included Church World Service, Episcopal Relief and Development, Lutheran World Relief, Presbyterian Disaster Assistance, Week of Compassion and the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR), which said it would also work through ACT as well as Muslim Aid.

"UMCOR is committed to helping the people of Bangladesh recover," said Sam Dixon, deputy general secretary at UMCOR. "Although we are not there in person, we will work through our trusted partners who are already on the ground in Bangladesh."

Related Links:

• Action by Churches Together