US military official says naval ship arrives to help Bangladesh recover from cyclone

The U.S. Navy prepared Friday to deliver much-needed food and medical supplies to hundreds of thousands of Bangladeshis whose homes were destroyed by Cyclone Sidr, a top U.S. military commander said.

The arrival of the USS Kearsage near the Bangladesh coast came as authorities and aid workers warned that Bangladesh faces acute food shortages, after the devastating storm ravaged crops and destroyed homes across a large swath of the country.

"We are here to help the people in their time of need," Adm. Timothy Keating, the top U.S. military commander in the Pacific Ocean, told reporters.

The first ship arrived Thursday and Keating said a …