US Navy relief efforts in aftermath of Bangladesh cyclone end, but civilian aid goes on
ABOARD USS TARAWA, Bangladesh: U.S. military help in relief operations in cyclone-battered Bangladesh ended Thursday but civilian efforts will continue, officials from the two countries said.
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/12/06/asia/AS-GEN-Bangladesh-US-Relief.php
The Associated Press
Published: December 6, 2007
Bangladesh army chief Gen. Moeen U. Ahmed, on board the USS Tarawa, said the military relief operation, dubbed Sea Angel II, had come to an end and the ship would leave soon.
Geeta Pasi, charge d' affaires at the U.S. Embassy in Dhaka, said civilian aid agencies including USAID would continue relief efforts.
Tropical Cyclone Sidr slammed into Bangladesh's coastal areas on Nov. 15, leaving more than 3,200 people dead and millions homeless.
Helicopters from the USS Tarawa, which took over from the amphibious assault ship USS Kearsarge on Monday, made final sorties Thursday, dropping food, water and medicine, said Capt. John Beal. The operation involved 20 helicopters.
Since Nov. 22, the U.S. military has delivered more than 113,000 kilograms (249,000 pounds) of food and medicine and 54,000 liters (14,000 U.S. gallons) of drinking water. The U.S. ships' medical teams also treated 2,355 people, the officials said.
The USS Tarawa also participated in relief operations in 1991 — dubbed Sea Angel I — when a powerful cyclone killed about 140,000 people in Bangladesh.