Cyclone Amphan Response COVID-19 Response Sundarban Needs Hope and Help to Revive from the Ravages of Cyclone Amphan

Introduction:

India is going through a tumultuous time, as we still battle novel coronavirus, economic downturn, nationwide lockdown, natural disasters like Amphan, Nisarga, are leaving behind a trail of disasters, marginalising the already vulnerable communities. The very recent super Amphan cyclone, which wreaked havoc in West Bengal and Odisha, has destroyed land, property, and brought the worst affected districts to an absolute standstill, as communication channels were cut off.

www.indiadonates.org Cyclone Amphan Response

Sundarban Social Development Centre, Sundarban West Bengal

Super Cyclone Amphan ravaged the state of West Bengal amidst the already rising cases of COVID-19. Over 80 lives were lost in the cyclone which made a landfall on 20th May 2020 went on to be severely devastating for the state. Lives, houses, agricultural land were lost. As houses were destroyed and river boundaries broke, the incoming saline water created more havoc for agricultural lands, bringing the Sundarban’s main form of sustenance to a complete halt.

“Sundarban is a low-lying coastal area and is always been prone to disasters, however, this time, a cyclone has further margialised the communities. The district was already reeling under immense economic pressure due to COVID-19 and while we were able to see community participation during the lockdown, these same communities are now completely devastated. Although we are now focussing on providing immediate relief, we also need to instil hope, especially amongst the youth.” -Bhakta Purakayastha, General Secretary

Our partner Sundarban Social Development Centre, who have been relentless in their effort through the COVID – 19 crisis said that, the super cyclone has aggravated the issues of hygiene, drinking water, electricity & telecommunication, ecological damage, education, health, etc.

www.indiadonates.org Cyclone Amphan Response

Response: In response to the emergency, SSDC with the support of Indiadonates aimed to provide food relied to the poorest of poor families. 22 families living in Namkhan Gram Panchayat (GP) of Namkhana block under South 24 Parganas district were provided with dry ration kits consisting of Rice, Dal, Soyabean, Oil and Potato.

Total Beneficiaries Reached: 22 Families Amount Raised: Rs. 22,100 Read more about SSDC here