Remembering the Tsunami: Event Report

"While the whole world was busy celebrating Christmas, there was a small group of poeple standing at a prominent crossroad in Bangalore with placards reminding people of the anniversary of the Tsunami on the evening of 25th December 2010. Sankalp India Foundation organised the event - ' Remembering the Tsunami' to amrk the 6th anniversary of the worst disaster of our times and at the same time reinforce the pledge to act to provide relief to the disaster victims as soon as possible after the disasters."

Remembering The TsunamiDisasters, either man-made or natural have frequently tormented our country. Time and again, earthquakes, floods, fires etc have come back to haunt and make lives miserable. Take for example, this tragedy in 2004. On the 26th of December 2004, a ghastly giant in the Indian Ocean rocked many countries including our very own India. On that day the killer Tsunami wrecked havoc in Tamil Nadu, Pondicherry, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Kerala and Andhra Pradesh killing thousands and leaving a countless people homeless. The few minutes of the raucous battering of sea waves was so hard and severe that till date people are left with rebuilding their lives. Perhaps, disaster relief preparedness in a vast country like India has slowly become one of the most essential needs.

SANKALP INDIA FOUNDATION: A DISASTER RELIEF ORGANISATION

Pain of a fellow human has always inspired people to come forward to help. Probably this is what drew Sankalp India Foundation, voluntary youth organisation registered in Bangalore under the Karnataka State Societies Registration Act as a NGO, into reaching out to the victims of the Tsunami in Nagapattinam with relief. Within 36 hours of hearing the news about the Tsunami, Sankalp was at the area of destruction. What met the eyes at the scene of disaster was something which cannot be described in words. Thousands of bodies were lying piled up, and there was nothing there to even remove these dead bodies. Sankalp’s participation in this disaster sowed the seeds of Disaster Mitigation and Management (DMMG) wing in the Organization, which was till then primarily a full fledged blood donation organisation.

Although disasters are mostly unpredictable and nearly unavoidable, Sankalp’s idea for the DMMG wing’s working was to ensure that Sankalp would participate and help in the disaster hit areas in the earliest possible time when trauma and suffering are at their peak. This clear idea in Sankalp made the Organization be ready to provide relief to disaster hit areas at the time when it is most required in the best possible way. Since the inception of the DMMG wing, the organisation has reached out to people during the Tsunami in 2004, the Kashmir earthquake in 2005, floods in Tamil Nadu, Kosi floods in Bihar in 2008, floods in Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh in 2009 and during the terrorist attacks/bomb blasts at Mumbai, Jaipur, Hyderabad, and Bangalore.

Remembering The TsunamiSays Rajat Kumar Agarwal, President of Sankalp India Foundation and the one who led the campaign of relief in TamilNadu during the Tsunami – “When we reached Nagapattinum, we expected to see a large number of people and organisations involved in relief activity. Unfortunately, even a day after the disaster not many people apart from the local administration were there to help. In those conditions, even the trivial supply of relief material that we had made a lot of difference. The entire nation participated in Tsunami rehabilitation – but no one was there for relief. That’s when we decided to shape ourselves into a group which can act fast after the disaster strikes – at the time of greatest need.”

“Over the years, in different circumstances our methodologies for providing relief have been fine tuned and have been context based. For example, during Kashmir earthquake in 2005, blankets were provided to people to save them from the biting cold, during the bomb blasts and terrorist attacks, we were co-ordinating with blood banks to ensure blood supply to the injured, during the Bihar floods, food and medicines were sent to people and in the 2009 flood relief utensils were given to people to help them rebuild their lives. However, the central idea remains to reach out to people in the first 48-72 hours and help them in all possible ways to overcome the trauma and pain of suffering”, adds Rajat.

SANKALP’S IDEA OF PREPARING FOR DISASTERS

Sankalp India Foundation is on a mission to be fully equipped and prepared to provide disaster relief, be it in terms of human resources or resources to be provided during relief. “With clearly defined protocols, trainings and mock practises of disaster hit situations, the Volunteers of Sankalp have specialized teams ready for the situation. When the news of the disaster reaches Sankalp, a code-red is announced among all the volunteers. Volunteers are then required to confirm their participation in the relief mission. With the available volunteers, many respective teams are formed and all the protocols are followed which were already decided upon. Furthermore, we are carrying out a rigorous exercise to identify better and faster means of procuring and delivery of resources” Says Rajat.

These strategies have proved themselves too. Take the case of the flood relief in Karnataka in October 2009 for example. “Our training and discussion sessions helped me clearly identify the areas of problems, the people to approach to understand the situation and make a good initial survey of the magnitude of the tragedy. It helped me formulate clear action items and get back to my team at Bangalore with relevant inputs” says Amit Sedai, who rushed to Raichur in less than 48 hours of the ravaging floods. Clearly the training, discussion and mock sessions have made an impact on the confidence, mental strength and the vision of volunteers while taking up both on field and off filed work during disasters.

JOIN IN

INDIVIDUALS

Do you have an intention to help out during disaster relief as well and are looking for a way to participate? Here is your chance. Sankalp India Foundation is calling on individuals who wish to contribute to join hands. It could be people from medical community, students, professionals, or for that matter any individual who wants to join in to make a difference and volunteer during disaster relief. It could also be just that you wish to contribute financially in the event of a disaster.

FOR ORGANISATIONS, CORPORATE ENTITIES

Sankalp India Foundation is planning a Disaster Relief Partner Program to tie up with organisations and corporate entities who wish to find genuine organisations to work with for disaster relief. A complete proposal for a partnership program between Sankalp and any new organisation has been designed, and clear work plans are laid out. A full fledged discussion on optimal means of participation can be discussed and finalised. This Disaster Relief Partner Program will be officially launched on the 26th of January 2011.

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