Nov. 19 (Bloomberg) -- Bangladesh faces food shortages and outbreaks of disease after Tropical Cyclone Sidr smashed into the South Asian nation, destroying half a million homes and killing thousands of people, officials said.

``Medical supplies are not reaching the needy as roads and telecommunications are cut off,'' Wahida Bashar Ahmed, ActionAid International's emergency coordinator for Bangladesh, said by telephone from the capital, Dhaka, today. ``Drinking water is scarce and people have moved away from cyclone shelters to their devastated homes. If we are not able to reach them in at least three days the situation will go from bad to worse.''

The cyclone, with winds as powerful as 250 kilometers (155 miles) an hour, swept in from the Bay of Bengal and crossed the Khulna-Barisal coast late Nov. 15, before weakening as it moved inland toward northeast India. Some 3,113 people were killed, the Associated Press reported, citing Lieutenant Colonel Main Ullah Chowdhury, an army spokesman. The Bangladesh Red Crescent Society, the Islamic equivalent of the Red Cross, said the number of deaths could hit 10,000 after rescuers reach surrounding islands, AP said.

The World Food Program rushed supplies to Bangladesh, while the European Union released 1.5 million euros ($2.2 million) in relief aid. The U.S. Navy sent helicopters, hovercraft and medical teams to help with the relief effort.

Crops Damaged

``Six months ago, floods ravaged Bangladesh. One of the devastating factors of two disasters striking in the same year is that the floods reduced the crops in northern and central districts,'' said Heather Blackwell, Bangladesh country manager of the Oxfam GB charity, in a telephone interview from Dhaka.

``The cyclone has now potentially destroyed up to 75 percent of the crops in the coastal zones,'' she said. ``For the country as a whole, food availability and security is an immediate need and we hope it will not have a long-term impact.''

The cyclone brought a storm surge as high as 6 meters (20 feet) to the region, one of the lowest-lying areas in the world, washing away livestock and crops. The storm was 500 kilometers wide before coming to shore.

About 2.74 million people have been affected, the Disaster Management Bureau said in a report. About 485 kilometers of roads and 3,407 schools and training centers were damaged, while 242,355 livestock were killed.

``Communication lines are still disrupted,'' Shafiul Alam, secretary general of the Bangladesh Red Crescent Society, said in a telephone interview from Dhaka. ``Access to remote villages is proving very difficult. Bodies are still being recovered from interior districts.''

`Disease Outbreak'

More than 200,000 homes have been completely destroyed, Oxfam's Blackwell said. ``There is widespread destruction of shelters, crops and there is a huge pile-up of debris of dead people and livestock. Concerns of disease outbreak are there as there are injured people in rural areas deserving medical attention. The level of sanitation is also poor.''

Government agencies allocated cash grants to affected districts and distributed water-purification equipment, tents, blankets and other emergency supplies.

The military was deployed for relief operations and helicopters and boats are taking supplies to areas not accessible by road, said Masud Siddiqui, the bureau's director general.

``Relief work is in full swing and the civilian administration, army and other government officials are working round-the-clock,'' Siddiqui said.

`Left With Nothing'

Emergency preparations in advance of the cyclone saved tens of thousands of lives, Save the Children said in a statement.

``The good news is that many people have survived this disaster, especially compared with past cyclones, but the bad news is that most survivors on the coastal areas are left with nothing,'' Kelly Stevenson, Save the Children's Bangladesh director, said in the statement. The organization is concerned about possible outbreaks of cholera and diarrhea caused by a lack of access to clean water, Stevenson said.

Bangladesh and northeastern India are regularly hit by cyclones that form in the Bay of Bengal, bringing flooding and devastation to local communities.

To contact the reporter on this story: Jay Shankar in Bangalore on jshankar1@bloomberg.net.

Last Updated: November 19, 2007 11:15 EST