Children in Bangladesh need urgent help after surviving the worst cyclone to hit the country in the past decade, according to Save the Children's emergency team on the ground.

The aid agency is today (Monday) launching an emergency appeal to help families rebuild their lives after their homes were destroyed by Cyclone Sidr.

"The good news is that many people survived this disaster, compared to previous cyclones," said Save the Children's programme director in Bangladesh, Suman Sengupta.

"But the bad news is that most survivors in the coastal areas have been left with absolutely nothing. Many families have lost everything, including their homes and their crops and they are struggling to survive."

Emergency staff said that extensive preparations had saved tens of thousands of lives during the cyclone which struck on Thursday with a strength similar to the storm in 1991 that killed 140,000 people.

But while the death toll is lower, the cyclone has severely affected hundreds of thousands of people. At least 2,000 people have been killed, more than 40,000 homes have been destroyed leaving hundreds of thousands of people homeless and a million people have been left without electricity.

Gareth Owen, Save the Children's director of emergencies said: "The children who survived this cyclone have been left with nothing. We urgently need help to be able to reach them and begin to rebuild their lives. We are on the ground now but we need more money to respond to this emergency."

How you can help • call our Save the Children Emergency Appeal Line and Donate: 0800 8 148 148 • donate online on www.savethechildren.org.uk • donate items to your local Save the Children shop: the sale of these items will raise much needed funds for the appeal • donate your time: as people begin to donate more items to our shops extra volunteers will be needed within the stores, whether it's just two hours or a whole day every minute of your time will help. Please drop into our local shops and offer your time.

Save the Children was on the ground preparing for the cyclone before it hit. The agency has been operating boat-ambulances and has begun handing out life-saving supplies including food, plastic sheeting to build shelters, blankets, water containers, diarrhoea treatment and 100,000 water purification tablets.

What your money can buy • £8 could buy a health kit containing soap and a bucket for washing, toothbrushes, basic first aid equipment and treatment for diarrhoea. • £60 could help to set up a health camp, with a doctor providing basic healthcare and medicines, in a cyclone-hit village. • £170 could pay for a school kit, providing basic school supplies for 50 children.

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For more information please contact Kathryn Rawe in the Save the Children Media Unit on 020 7012 6844 or k.rawe@savethechildren.org.uk. For out of hours enquiries please call 07831 650 409. Kate Conradt, Media and Communications for Save the Children is in Bangladesh and available on +1 202 294 9700.