Cyclone death toll tops 3,000*

    * Story Highlights
    * NEW: Death toll from Category 4 cyclone exceeds 3,000, military says
    * Red Crescent Society official says deaths could rise to 5,000-10,000
    * Bangladeshi president distributes aid; angry survivors go empty-handed
    * Thousands remain missing; estimated 280,000 homeless

PATUAKHALI, Bangladesh (CNN) -- The death toll from one of the worst
storms to strike the impoverished nation of Bangladesh has risen above
3,000, the nation's military said on Monday.

A woman mourns after finding the body of her mother in a paddy field in
Borguna, Bangladesh.

The number of dead killed from Cyclone Sidr -- now at 3,114 -- is
expected to rise as the South Asian nation continues to assess the damage.

Speaking at a press conference Sunday, the chairman for the Bangladesh
Red Crescent expressed concern that the death toll could surpass 5,000
-- perhaps even reaching as high as 10,000.

The Category 4 cyclone raked Bangladesh's southwest coast on Thursday
with maximum sustained winds of 150 mph (241 kmh), destroying
fishermen's hamlets and villages.

Thousands are still missing, while an estimated 280,000 others are
unable to return to their homes which were wiped out by the storm.

Most houses in the region are made of flimsy materials such as bamboo
and corrugated iron, and had no chance of withstanding the storm's
powerful winds.

In addition, the storm-struck area is criss-crossed by a huge river
delta which surged as Sidr pushed through, wiping out many villages and
littering the river's shores with debris. Video Watch as people are left
to fend for themselves »

Low-lying Bangladesh is already prone to flooding which has wiped out
the country's rice production -- a major food staple for the
impoverished country.

Improved warning systems and shelters have kept the number of deaths far
lower than the disastrous cyclones in the region of 1970 and 1991, when
the tolls were in the hundreds of thousands.

Bangladesh President Iajuddin Ahmed visited the devastated region
Sunday, handing out some aid to the crowds of people before members of
the international media. It was largely a token effort as hundreds were
left empty-handed and furious. Security officials struggled to hold back
the crowd. Photo See dramatic photos of storm survivors »

Sidr has already ruined Bangladesh's rice harvest, but the international
community is rallying to make sure the country does not suffer as
acutely as it has in the past. Nearly a million people died after
massive floods wiped out the country's rice production in 1974.

The United States has offered more than $2 million as an initial
contribution for emergency relief, and sent two U.S. Navy carriers to
help in recovery operations.

In addition, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) is
airlifting in relief supplies and an 18-person Department of Defense
medical team is in Bangladesh helping the estimated 15,000 injured by
the storm.

Bangladesh's government held an emergency Cabinet meeting Saturday to
assess the disaster and discuss recovery issues, Bangladeshi government
spokesman Fahim Munaim told CNN.

Officials fear the scope of the destruction may be much more extensive
since there are remote areas where conditions cannot yet be determined.

Munaim said nearly a third of Bangladesh's 64 districts were affected by
the cyclone, most of those along the southern coast. The Bangladeshi
military is working to provide shelter for the many people who have been
displaced.

International aid groups -- including Save the Children, World Vision,
and the Red Crescent, which already have offices in Bangladesh -- are
deploying resources to the cyclone-stricken region but -- like the
government -- they have found it nearly impossible to reach the more
remote areas to assess conditions.

Roads to remote areas are either blocked by massive trees fallen by the
storm, or so severely damaged that it is impossible for vehicles to use.

Clearing could take weeks in the remote areas because it must be done by
hand -- there are no chainsaws and modern machinery to speed up the process.

Along the broken road that leads into Kolapara, the body of an
8-year-old girl called Rummie was carefully carried away for burial.

Overwhelmed with sadness, her mother Khadija was steadied by a relative.