Relief
Activities
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The
Damage
Gujarat’s 1997 monsoon rains arrived with rare venom. In just
3 days (25-June-97 to 27-June-97), hundreds of villages become
little islands as rivers broke their banks and flooded prime agricultural
land, flowing several feet over roads.
- Hundreds of villages became
completely stranded for days and towns lay under siege cut
off from the rest of the world.
- A total communications breakdown
resulted in many areas.
- Roads and homes were swept away.
- Rivers broke their banks and
flooded prime agricultural area.
- Some areas had power failure.
- Thousands of tons of crops were
destroyed.
The Relief Operation
The volunteers of the
Sanstha fanned out in 5 districts: Dhandhuka, Surendranagar, Mehsana,
Gandhinagar and Amdavad. Using small boats or by wading through
waist-deep waters, sadhus and volunteers risking their own lives,
rushed to support and comfort the victims.
- 70,000 food packets were prepared
and distributed along with other essentials to thousands of
victims.
- 300 families in the district
of Mehsana were given cooking utensils free.
- Volunteers distributed food
and fresh drinking water to those stranded. In some areas,
the volunteers reached these people by using specially requisitioned
motor boats.
- The members helped several hundred
victims to reach safer ground, where hot meals and clothes
were provided.
- In certain areas medicines were
distributed to prevent any diseases from spreading.
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