The relief requirements are as follows:
1.Immediate family requirements
We have prepared family kits for the victim
families. The need is huge. Based on the availability of support from
generous people, the identified number of families should be supported.
- Food in Relief camps:
In relief camps, to
provide food, we need atleast Rs 500/-per family per day. To support one
relief camp for 100 families we need Rs.50,000/- per day. There are
over 70 relief camps in this stretch of Nagapattinam district. Each
relief camp has a community kitchen set up at these camps by women from
the village themselves. They need rations of rice, pulses, vegetables
and other provisions.
2. Lighting for the families:
Power has not been restored to the worst
affected villages. Since the transmission lines and transformers are
still broken and many are submereged in floodwaters, it is expected that
it will take atleast on month period to provide power to village. The
demand from the community is to provide atleast candles to them, as a
way to have light at night. Each family needs atleast 2 candles a day
coming to 60 candles a month at the rate of is Rs.15/piece along with
Re.1 matchboxes. To support one family we need Rs.960/-
We
could also provide solar based lighting plus charging devices coming
for about Rs.600 that can also charge their mobile phones.
3. Mosquito Nets/Coils:
With water stagnating, more rain forecasts
and no electricity, the threat of mosquito and related diseases remains
imminent. Even otherwise, these people deserve a reasonable night’s
sleep. A family would need atleast 2 coils a night for a month, coming
to 60 coils a month at Rs.3/piece. To support one family for a month, we
need Rs.180
4. Hygiene kits:
Since many household articles have were
either washed away or are damaged at home. There is an urgent need of
sanitary pads, soaps, washing powder, phenoyl and other items of
personal hygiene.
5. Fresh New Clothes:
Many of their clothes have been washed
away, and many people, especially the elderly men and women need fresh
sets of Lungis, Sarees and undergarments.
For
children: Biscuits, milk powder for children is another immediate need
for children. Biscuit costs Rs.100 and Rs.200/- for milk powder packets
for family for 5 days. It comes to Rs.60/- per family per day.
6. Supply of water
is another issue. This can be done only through water tanks or cans.
Borewells which were the previous source of drinking water are rendered
useless without electricity to pump the water. Even Nagapattinam, the
district headquarters was in the dark for three days.
2.Educational kit for children:
The sheer number of books damaged at homes
is tragic to see. Wherever possible, children have been trying to dry
their books which got washed and drenched in the flooding and rains.
Each child needs a school kit worth Rs.1500/-(The kit includes bag,note
books,geometry box,pencil box,pen,eraser,scale,etc.).Again the number of
children you could support can be decided based on the support you
receive.
3. Tarpaulin sheets for homes:
The houses with damaged roofs require
tarpaulne as emergency waterproofing from rains. There is inadequate
stock of tarpaulin sheets in the region too.
4.Damage to boats, engines, nets:
While the immediate concern is for relief,
sooner or later, livelihood concerns will become the main priority.
Going forward, livelihood compensation packages have to be worked out –
especially since small boats do not even have insurance schemes
supported by the government. It is the small scale sector fishing that
has borne the brunt of the damage. While the entire district has seen
damage to an estimated 2500 small fibre boats, an estimated 1500 small
boats and kattumarams have been damaged in this coastal section from
Seruthur to Vedaranyam alone. Each of these boats, along with engines
and nets would have costed at least 3 lakhs. The damaged boats can be
recovered with investments of upto 1 lakh, but the ones damaged beyond
repair, and ones untraceable would need to be replaced. More crucial is
compensation for various fishing nets, especially there is no chance of
getting govt compensation for nets.
At least 10-15
lakhs trees too have been uprooted and damaged. The destroyed trees and
plantations need to evaluated not as financial investments but as
sources of daily livelihoods – there were many who were dependent on
these trees for nutrition as well as daily running incomes. It would
take over 10 years for families to grow back their trees. Plus, its not
just the loss of crops and plantations they have to cope with, but with
the loss in soil fertility thanks to the large scale sea inundation of
farms upto 3-4 kms inland.
What makes matters worse is the level of indebtedness already existing among these people.
With heavy rains resuming as predicted by weather forecasts, there is great urgency for relief work to be prompt and timely.
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