A cyclone hit Orissa on the East Coast
of India on October 29th. There was widespread destruction, and then the
ensuing tidal waves made the scale of the disaster awesome.
Officials say that 10, 000 people were
killed, but people in the area guess that it is more likely to be in the
region of 35,000. The death toll is still rising as rescue teams recover
more bodies.
Damage to property has been put at $US 1.5 billion. This means that an estimated 1.8 million homes are severely damaged or destroyed and 4.4 million acres of crops ruined. 12 million people a third of the population of Orissa - have been affected.
GOAL has being using its resources in GOAL INDIA to see what it can do for this humanitarian crisis. GOAL is currently working in ten small villages. GOAL has sent food, medicines and emergency shelter materials. However many of the people will need longer-term assistance to put their lives back together.
The next planned phase of GOAL's intervention is a rehabilitation programme providing food for work for approximately 4,000 people. The project is based in Cuttack about 30 kms from the coast. Here, people will be helped to rebuild their homes and community institutions such as schools and their road infrastructure. Seeds and saplings will be provided so that food will be harvested in the springtime.