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India

ACT Alliance Appeal: India - Cyclone Phailin - IND134

Attachments

Appeal Target: US$2,487,251

Balance Requested: US$2,029,045

This appeal replaces the preliminary appeal issued 18 October 2013

Geneva, 29 November 2013

Dear Colleagues,

On 12 October 2013 Cyclone Phailin left a trail of destruction flattening hundreds of thousands of homes, destroying paddy crops worth about INR 24 Billion (about US$400 million) however, Odisha and Andhra Pradesh escaped widespread loss of life due to timely warnings, evacuation and access to multi-purpose cyclone shelters that had been built following the super cyclone of 1999.

The cyclone may have crossed over Odisha for a comparatively short period however, it devastated many coastal areas. The cyclone affected 16 districts but floods due to heavy rain further worsened the situation. Both cyclone and flooding severely impacted the lives and livelihoods of the people. The Government of Odisha sources confirmed a total of 47 deaths due to both cyclone and floods, while over 13 million people were affected by the disaster. The majority of the affected people whose livelihoods depend on agriculture and fisheries have lost everything. The saline water from the sea has destroyed crops and damaged agricultural land while boats and nets were damaged or destroyed. Drinking water is a major problem in the villages where sea water surged into the villages and the drinking water sources have been salinated.

ACT India Forum members, Church’s Auxiliary for Social Action (CASA) and Lutheran World Service India trust (LWSIT) are responding through provision of the following assistance: food and non-food items; water and sanitation; shelter – including temporary shelter materials and house repair support; psycho-social support; livelihood in the form of seeds, cash for work and kitchen garden kits along with fruit trees which will help with livelihood and also help protect the environment. Both CASA and LWSIT also plan disaster risk reduction awareness training and the building of multi-purpose cyclone shelters.