PHA-Exchange> Reporting on the Relief Work from Chennai....

[Claudio]

>From : balaji_sampath at hotmail.com  Madras TN

> >Dear Friends,  (If one of you can send this on the PHA-exch  - please do
so).
> >
> >Reporting from Chennai about the Relief efforts on the Tsunami hit areas.
> >Please use the information here to collect donations, clothes, medicines,
> >write up proposals for the rehab work, etc.
> >
> >After the initial shock and chaos, we are now quite well organized to
handle
> >the relief efforts.   A number of organizations have started working
> >together to handle the relief work .  We have formed a
> >quick informal coalition to coordinate this work.  As of now the state
level
> >coordination is being done from the AID-India office in Gopalapuram
Chennai.
> >
> >We are together working on relief efforts in Chennai, Cuddalore and
> >Pondicherry, Nagapattinam and Kanyakumari.
> >
> >The relief work is planned in 3 phases:
> >
> >(1)   Immediate Relief - food, clothing, blankets, temporary shelter,
> >medicines and health camps for emergencies and epidemics
> >(2)   Second Level Relief - Construction of huts and houses and health
needs
> >(3)   Third Level Relief - Livelihood needs for the families affected -
> >forming cooperatives and providing livelihood support like boats, nets
etc.
> >
> >Right now all our focus in on the first phase.
> >
> >In Chennai - we have divided ourselves into 3 teams:
> >
> >1.      Collection and Information Team:  This team will handle calls,
> >receive donations of money, clothes, medicines, blankets and vessels and
> >send receipts, give information on the current status of relief work.
This
> >team will also give out press releases, send out email reports and call
for
> >further donations based on the needs.  This is the team that people from
> >outside must contact.
> >
> >The people to contact:
     Bharati/Manohar/Hari (AID office - > >044-28350403),
> >Ravishankar (IIT Prof) (94440-84910),
> >Chandra Anil (9382330752, > >044-28350403)
> >Smitha Kalyani (98401-73800)
> >Vibha Ravindran (98402-63275)
> >Balaji Sampath (94440-61033, 28350403(O))
> >
> >(I - Balaji - may not be available for the next 4 days as I am going to
> >Nagai and Cuddalore to help with the field coordination.)
> >
> >2.      Allocation and Distribution:  This team will get the needs from
> >various field locations, sort the materials collected, divide it up for
> >different locations based on the need and send it to the field
coordinators
> >for distribution.
> >
> >3.      Field Team: In each area we have a team of volunteers who will be
> >coordinating the relief efforts and distribution of materials.
> >
> >In Chennai we have started the relief work in 5 areas:
> >
> >In each area we have allocated 2 people to coordinate with the
distribution.
> >These 2 people are taking down names of people, family survey, needs
survey
> >and what is being distributed.  The idea is that this individual rapport
> >that is built will be useful in working with the people over the next few
> >months - ensuring rehabilitation and livelihood as well.  Every day as
the
> >collections are being done, the field coordinators will go to the relief
> >camps to provide the people with what they need.
> >
> >This is the plan everywhere - we work with a community, get a rapport
during> >the initial relief phase and then work with them on the house
constructions> >and livelihood rehab phase.
> >
> >In Nagapattinam district - which is the worst hit in Tamilnadu - we have
3
> >organizations on the field working:  We are also trying to get other
orgns and the dist administration> >into a joint coordination effort.   Many
of our volunteers of who are from> >fishing villages have died and so have
many of the children studying in the> >support centers.  Ranganathan from
Vidyarambam left yesterday from Chennai> >with a van load of clothes and
relief materials.  Locally DYFI and TNSF have> >collected some materials and
started the distribution.  We have sent them> >some immediate funds and I
will be taking more funds and relief materials> >with me today.
> >
A> >cholera epidemic seems to be starting in both Cuddalore and Nagai - we
are >sending out preventive information pamphlets and are also taking
medicines> >for the people there. Senthil Babu has gone there yesterday.
> >
> >In Kanyakumari -   Many of the> >villages where they are working have
been washed away.   We have sent Rs.> >30,000 yesterday and will be sending
more.
> >
> >I am leaving in a truck with Charles, Damu and Jagdish - with the relief
> >materials collected here today.  Will be leaving from AID office by about
> >5:00 pm. I will first go to Pondicherry and then to Cuddalore  There we
will> >meet with the local TNSF and DYFI and other teams to plan the relief
rehab> >work for the next 1-2 weeks.  Damu will stay there to continue
helping with> >the work there as well as to keeping giving the
collection/allocation teams> >in Chennai info about what is going on and
what are the current needs.
> >
> >Then the truck will go to Nagai and meet with the teams there - to plan
out> >a joint relief coordination and also plan for the long term rehab work
> >needed.  Charles and Jagdish will stay there for at least a week or ten
days> >and work with the teams there - and also send us back information
about what> >is happening.
> >
> >What we need in terms of collections:
> >
> >1.      Money - lots of it - for buying quick relief materials as well as
> >for the long term.  There are many people contributing and wanting to
> >contribute.  Please collect it from people and send it to the AID office:
> >Cheques can be made in the name of AID-India and sent to:
> >
> >AID-India
> >Old No 132, New No 242,
> >Avvai Shanmugam Road
> >Gopalapuram, Chennai - 600 086
> >
> >(In the US - collections are being done by AID-US - you can contact
> >1-888-TALK-2-AID or 301-209-0508 for more details. Vibha is also doing
> >collections for this.)
> >
> >2.      Clothes - particularly blankets
> >
> >3.      Food - rice, wheat and dal - as grains for cooking and using over
> >the next one week.
> >
> >4.      Medicines (antibiotics, ORS, bandages, cotton, etc - basic first
> >aid).
> >
> >5.      Doctors - people willing to stay in Nagai and Cuddalore and treat
> >people in health camps.
> >
> >6.      Vessels
> >
> >For the second and third phase we are planning on community groups and
> >cooperatives that will jointly construct housing and buy boats, etc.
> >
> >The total immediate relief budget (from my initial estimate) is about Rs.
20
> >Lakhs.  This may go up to about Rs. 40 Lakhs.  (This is what we need -
> >ourselves and the other NGOs and community groups that we are working
apart
> >from what the government is providing.)
> >
> >The long term relief budget needed is more than a few crores - but
whatever
> >we can get we can make use of.  One boat for 50 people costs about Rs. 1
> >Lakh.  We will need about 10 boats for each community and will be working
> >with about 100 communities - a total of about Rs. 10 crores.   Housing
will
> >cost about Rs. 50,000.  There are more than 50,000 people who need this
> >help. You can calculate the total budget required!  We will of course
also
> >use the government relief support and try to reach to the most needy. But
in
> >spite of government funds, there will be a lot of need for rehab support
> >that we will need directly as well.
> >
> >Please use the information above to raise funds and collect the materials
> >and to send out appeals.  You can also draft short proposals to submit to
> >your companies and other groups that may be able to give grants for the
> >above purposes.
> >
> >There has so far been a great response from all our volunteers and a lot
of
> >individuals from everywhere are contacting us with offer for help.
People
> >from Bangalore, villages in Vembakkam and Banavaram, Colleges in Chennai,
volunteers in the US, Software professionals,
> >people from slums in Chennai, people living in flats, people from
different
> >NGOs, individuals, etc.  But the scale of the problem is so much that we
> >will need all the help we can get.
> >
> >We will keep you updated with the information from the field regularly.
> >Thanks a lot for all your help.  If you need more specific info please
> >contact:
> >
> >Ravishankar - ravia at alumni.cmu.edu
> >94440-84910, 28350403
> >Chandra - chanvish at yahoo.com
> >9382330752, 044-28350403
> >Smitha Kalyani - smithakalyani at yahoo.com             98401-73800
> >Vibha - vibha_ravindran at rediffmail.com
> >98402-63275
> >Balaji (me - after 4-5 days) - balaji_sampath at hotmail.com 94440-61033
> >Kalpana - kalpa at vsnl.com
> >044-28361033
> >
> >Bye,
> >Balaji Sampath
> >