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| Medical & Social Welfare |
Cyclone Relief ActivityOrissa Cyclone October 29, 1999, saw cyclonic storms with winds of 200 km per hour ripping through India’s eastern coast. Orissa, like many times in the past, was at the receiving end of nature’s fury. Few can forget newspaper photographs and television images of decomposed bodies floating around in the mass of water covering the state. In fact, a Times of India reporter had to wade through human corpses and animal carcasses to reach villagers living in makeshift camps. The loss in the cyclone - later described as the century’s worst - was tremendous: 10,000 lives were lost, lakhs were rendered homeless and land-owners suffered incalculable losses. But Orissa’s darkest hour was further clouded by an outbreak of cholera and other communicable diseases. Food riots and bureaucratic bungling only accentuated the overall gloom. As cyclone-affected citizens had to start life from scratch, The Times of India Group, along with a few like-minded organisations, decided to lay a proper pipeline for aid. In Mumbai, Bombay Times joined hands with AGNI, a non-governmental organisation, Indianoil, and Central Railway to make it possible for the flood-affected to get the much-needed plastic sheets to create shelter, utensils, clothes, blankets and food. Gujarat Cyclone (1998) Statistically speaking, the cyclone that struck the Gujarat coast on June 1998, left 1,040 dead. It severely damaged IAF installations and buildings in the Jamnagar air base, caused damages worth Rs 8 crore to the military and affected navy’s operations, and led to losses of up to Rs 600 crore to operations at theKandla port. The cyclone also hit Corporate Gujarat in a big way: Reliance’s Jamnagar plant suffered losses amounting to Rs 100 crore, Gujarat State Fertiliser Corporation’s output was affected by 2,000 tonnes daily. Further losses and, possibly, an environmental disaster were prevented by the timely implementation of the contingency plan to divert incoming oil, fertiliser and chemicals to Mangalore in Karnataka. But in reality human error might just have contributed to the abovementioned harsh statistics wreaked by nature’s fury in Gujarat. In other words, these statistics were the result of the failure to detect a cyclone of such devastating proportions by any concerned agency. In fact, as Kandla port officials had no prior warning of the cyclone, five vessels were at berthing and moorings when the tragedy struck. Labourers dependent on the activities at the port suffered the most. Survivors recounted tales of their dear ones being swept away in their sleep by the gushing waters. To lend a helping hand to those who had suffered tragically,The Times of India appealed to its readers to help the unfortunate victims. With an initial contribution from the Times Group, The Times of India Relief Fund collected funds for victims of Gujarat cyclone. Work has since started on constructing a school building in Gandhidham and a Community/Health Centre. |
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