Update from AID Chennai 5

Update From Balaji: [Dec 31, 8AM IST]

AID Chennai Office Coordination: Entire relief coordination happening thro AID Chennai office. After collecting relief materials, trucks are leaving everyday from Chennai office. 6-7 trucks everyday along with volunteers.

Core volunteers have gone to set up centers in Nagapattinam, Cuddalore, Kanchi. Working with a number of local organizations. Hardest hit areas areas are Cuddalore, Nagipatnam. AID Chennai has set up 5 centers, which act as coordination points. AID volunteers are manning the centers. Feedback from these centers regarding what is needed is conveyed to the 5 centers and from there to the office in Chennai.

List of things required is changing everyday. Currently the volunteers are engaged in debris clearance, bodies are being cleared. Wherever the govt is working and providing relief AID is not working in those villages to avoid duplication of effort. In remote villages, AID is concentrating its effort.

In Chennai, Nagipattinam things are going well. In Pondicherry govt is doing a good job with R&R work.500 Cr rupees has been sanctioned for long term relief by the govt. In order to better utilise the resources the idea is to form cooperatives and provide some boats to these cooperatives. There is also a need to reconstruct houses, and provide means to getting back their livelihood. Ensure that boats are given to cooperative so that people can use it together. All the relief groups should come together to form a collective. In Kanyakumari, the NGO’s have come together to form collective. In Nagai and Cuddalore yet to form. Relief work will go up and relief support will go down over the next few weeks. Currently AID Chennai and TNSF can handle relief efforts only in TN. AID Bangalore and AID Chennai are coordinating efforts in TN.

Costs of boats. Hunting for cheapest boats. Someone needs to coordinate this effort.Pucca low cost housing is a requirement.Regarding NFF proposal, Kanyakumari already has few groups working and is well covered. AID Chennai can use the money that has been raised for integrated development. AID is also working in places where TNSF and AID did not work before.

Start with relief mode. Each boat costs 1.5-2 lakh/boat. Idea is to form cooperatives and give boats to a few villages. Pressurise govt to give money to buy boats in other villages.TNSF is also helping AID.There are some doctors on the ground. More are needed. Preventive efforts are on to prevent epidemic.

Recommendation for doctors from here – wait for a week. Start a registry for doctors. Get info on how long they want to spend in the field, are they interested in traveling around? Public Health officials can send materials. Every camp needs to construct quick toilets.There is need for effective warning systems. The people are in relief camps set up by govt.

Money is mainly needed for travel, coordination, community kitchens,supplies etc.The people who are affected are mainly fisherfolk who are into shrimp farming.