Tsunami- Relief and Restoring Livelihoods & Habitats

DHAN Foundation Initiatives - Update 1

December 28, 2004

DHAN Foundation, Madurai has activated relief work for the victims of coastal Tsunami tragedy and is simultaneously assessing the situation for a long-term restoration works. The Kalanjiam leaders taking the help of the staff  team have started rescue and relief work by pooling the locally available resources  such as edibles ,clothes, medicines etc. Chennai, Kancheepuram, Cuddalore, Nagapattinam and Kanyakumari are the places worst affected. In Nagapattinam and Cuddalore alone the toll has reached about 4000 lives and in remaining places the toll has gone up to 1000. The living and affected people have gone shelter less, orphans and disabled. Since most of them are fisherman, the loss of occupational aids such as boats, nets are also in large quantity. In Cuddalore coastal area M.Pudhupattinam, Chadhurangapattinam, Neyalikuppam, and M.kuppam have totally been washed out. Leaving thousands of thatched houses destructed by the tides. In about 100 relief centers and safe places in Cuddalore and Nagapattinam alone about 15,000 people require immediate basic needs such as edibles, dresses , blankets, medicines for which it is estimated Rs 10,00,000 will be in urgent need.

For housing and occupational aids alone in the second phase for about for 200 families works on for assessment and the exact calculation can be made shortly. This is a raw and first hand estimation based on the field information and more accurate estimate on its making and will be made available tomorrow.