Experiences of a relief team to Orissa
The Breakthrough Science Society (BSS) and the Medical Service Centre (MSC) thank the Association for India's Development (AID), USA for granting a sum of $2000 for cyclone relief work in Orissa. The MSC had been running medical camps at 14 locations in Jagatsinghpur district since 10th November, 1999 and the doctors belonging to this organization has been going to Orissa in regular shifts. The BSS volunteers had been collecting relief materials and sending these through the teams visiting the affected areas. These activities got a big boost with the additional resource provided by the AID.
Upon enquiring from the Cuttack chapter of Breakthrough, we learnt that the need of the hour was warm clothing. Doctors returning from MSC camps also reported that after the danger of epidemic outbreak was controlled, much of the diseases are caused by lack of protection from cold. So we chose to purchase blankets and distribute among those who have lost everything in the cyclone.
We learnt, further, that most of the relief are reaching only those villages which lie close to the main roads. Not only the government,but also most of the NGOs are doing a quick job of giving the relief materials to people close at hand. As a result far-flung remote areas are still untouched. So we decided to go as remote as possible. After receiving the aid from AID, the BSS sent a central relief team to one such remote block.
We purchased the blankets in Calcutta at wholesale price and set off to Cuttack on 3rd December. The team comprised of Dr. S. Banerjee, Dr. S. Maity, Dr. M. L. Nandagoswamy, Mr. A. Daskhan and Mr. P. Maity. At Cuttack we hired a trecker and a car and started off to Jagatsinghpur. We were accompanied by Prof. Biswabasu Das of the BSS Cuttack chapter.
As we proceeded, the increasing signs of devastation became clear. The first stop was at Goda village.
Since relief from other sources had already reached this place, we decided to push inwards. As we proceeded along what was earlier a road, the extent of human tragedy became more and more marked. Finally we reached Padmapur -- the final stop for our vehicles.
This is the place where MSC has been running its base camp since 10th November. They have set up a makeshift hospital. The tent and other equipment have been donated by another organization "Medicines Sans Frontiers" (MSF).
Prof. Das led the team to an island facing the Bay of Bengal -- the place which received the full brunt of the supercyclone. It has a village called Ramtara -- where about 2000 people used to live. Now there are about 1500 survivors. They survived taking shelter somehow on some sand-dunes. They were stranded there for 4 days without food or drinking water. Some others clutched trees. We saw a banyan tree which saved about 100 lives. Fortunately this one survived the onslaught of the 30-ft tidal waves. Most other trees were uprooted and the people clutching those trees were washed away.
The blankets were distributed among the surviving citizens of the villages of Ramtara and Balipatna.
To see photographs of the relief work, click here.