Puri: To cater to the immediate and basic needs of those affected by Cyclone Fani, a team of 100 volunteers from one of India’s leading social sector organizations Smile Foundation has started relief operations in Puri, Khurda and Jagatsinghpur. The Foundation said, it aims to reduce the adverse consequences of disaster on human lives and also bridge the gap between governments’ aided relief and immediate need on ground. The team has set a target of providing relief supplies to at least 10,000 families, including food, drinking water, shelter (tarpaulins), sanitation and hygiene supplies, as well as solar lamps.
“While over 1.1. million people have survived Cyclone Fani in the coastal belt of Odisha – the strongest tropical storm to hit India in over two decades – they have no food, drinking water, or even homes to go back to. Our teams from Smile Foundation are already on the ground distributing food and water among various other basic necessities to help these lives get back to normalcy,” said Santanu Mishra, Co-founder and Managing Trustee at Smile Foundation, India.
“The foremost worry of millions living in cyclone shelters is about basic necessities like food and drinking water and therefore we are focussing on ensuring this,” said Santanu Mishra, Co-founder and executive trustee at Smile Foundation, India.
Despite the paralysis of core banking system due to limited electricity and internet connection among other challenges, social workers from Smile Foundation have started distributing basic supplies in the three districts starting Thursday.
“The fury and devastation has left people psychologically fragile. We are only focusing on providing them with the basics essentials at the moment, to help them cope with the loss. Actual rehabilitation and reconstruction work may take several months,” said Uttam Datta, lead at Smile Foundation’s Disaster Response Team.
Mishra informed, “The first two cycles of our interventions will include rescue and rehabilitation, which means that we aim to keep our supply chain of basic relief material active. In the third phase, Smile Foundation would work with local village communities for restoration of health centers and schools including providing solutions for clean drinking.”
Cyclone Fani, which has affected an estimated 3 million people in 10,000 villages and 52 urban agglomerations in around 11 districts, made its landfall at 9.30 am on May 3 in the coastal state of Odisha at a wind speed of 175 kmph.
The government evacuated over 1.1 million people from vulnerable districts to safer locations, saving countless lives. To date, the death toll stands at 41 people. Smile Foundation teams are working closely with Government officials across districts to assess damage to lives, homes, schools, hospitals and other local buildings, as well as the impact on livelihoods in the districts of Puri, Khorda and Jagatsinghpur.
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