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India flooding: CWS-ACT appeal situation report

THE CHURCH WORLD SERVICE
EMERGENCY RESPONSE PROGRAM
Church World Service is the Relief and Development Agency of the 36 member denominations of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the U.S.A.

36 Denominations & Communions Working Together to Meet Human Needs

CWS/ACT APPEAL:
INDIA FLOODING

EMERGENCY ACCOUNT #6927
CWS goal: $75,000
(In support of ACT Appeal #ASIN12)

July 24, 2001

SITUATION: Heavy monsoon rains since late May of this year have engulfed the state of Orissa on the northeastern coast of India, approximately 300 miles south of Calcutta. The flooding is blamed for at least 55 deaths and the number will continue to rise, according to UN reports, as access is gained to the 8,000 villages currently cut-off from the rest of the state. The government of Orissa (GoO) reports that more than 600,000 people have been evacuated and more than 1 million people remain stranded in the districts of Kendrapara, Jagatsinghpur, Cuttack, Jajpur, Nayagarh, and Puri. The GoO also estimates that 50,000 people are currently without shelter. In the Cuttack district, 31 slum settlements were flooded, displacing around 900 families, of which there are 120 families who lost everything, according to a joint Action by Churches Together/Lutheran World Service (ACT/LWS) rapid assessment team.

Water and sanitation is a growing concern in over 10,000 villages badly affected by the flooding. Reports of waterborne diseases are escalating, including diarrhea, malaria, and acute jaundice. State administration officials report that more than 170,000 homes are damaged and 18,000 are completely destroyed and many more reports are expected as areas become accessible. There is an estimated 371,940 acres of devastated farmland and over 10,000 lost cattle, which is a tragic blow for farmers still recovering from the effects of the super cyclone that struck Orissa in 1999, killing 10,000 people.

Rail and road traffic as well as telecommunications systems in the region are severely disrupted. Army, Navy, and Air force personnel, as well as civil authorities are continuing relief and rescue operations. To date, over 112 Metric tons of food has been airdropped to stranded villagers. Reports confirm a high level of need for temporary shelter, ready-to-eat food, drinking water and water purifying systems. More heavy rainfall is projected in parts of the area over the next 24 hours.

RESPONSE: Churches Auxiliary for Social Action (CASA), a long-time CWS partner and Action By Churches Together (ACT) member is targeting assistance for 12,000 families (about 60,000 people) in Jagatsinghpur, Khudra, Puri, and Cuttack - some of the most severely affected districts in the region, where hundreds of thousands remain stranded. Jagastinghpur and Puri districts are primarily cut-off from the rest of the state.

CASA has already established long-term development projects in these areas and has been working in India since 1947 in humanitarian aid and development. As a part of the appeal, CASA assistance to these areas will include the distribution of clothing, blankets, cooking sets, and an 8 x 10 tarpaulin to the 12,000 most vulnerable families.

The anticipated completion date of this project is October 31, 2001.

CWS RESPONSE: CWS is initially seeking $75,000 from its member denominations in support of the ACT appeal to assist CASA's efforts in distributing the aforementioned relief materials to 12,000 of the most vulnerable families in the region. The amount of the appeal includes $30,000 in blanket funds CWS is rushing to assist these relief efforts.

For further details about the response, including specific budget items, Please contact CWS ERP.

CHURCH WORLD SERVICE, INDIA FLOODING, # 6927, P.O. Box 968, Elkhart, IN, 46515. Phone pledges or credit card donations: 1-800-297-1516.

On-line contributions to: www.churchworldservice.org

Call the CWS HOTLINE for updates: (800) 297-1516.

For further information about disasters to which Church World Service is responding, contact CWS Emergency Response.

Telephone: (212) 870-3151
E-mail: melinap@ncccusa.org
After-hours emergency pager: (800) 780-0853

Web site: www.cwserp.org