Cyclone Amphan roared into West Bengal, on 20 May 2020, unleashing heavy rain, high- velocity winds and leaving a trail of destruction. The cyclone cut a swathe through the coastal areas of the state, ravaging fragile dwellings, uprooting trees and affecting 13 million lives.
SEEDS on the ground:
Hygiene kit: A total of 375 hygiene kits, containing basic hygiene supplies have been distributed. SEEDS by way of this distribution has reached out to the most severely impacted families.
Nutritional support kit: The dual disaster of Amphan and Covid has rendered many people homeless and Jobless therefore leaving them unable to meet their basic family needs. Among these, SEEDS identified 300 families with pregnant/ lactating women and children below 5 years and distributed nutritional food items.
Safe drinking water supply: With power lines down in many areas and pumps out of operation, drinking water became an urgent and critical need. SEEDS made its contribution to ensure safe drinking water supply including treatment of available water, decontamination of local water sources, and water filtration systems where needed. In this exercise 11 villages have been provided with safe drinking water.
Village hygiene: Destructive cyclonic storm Amphan and heavy rain fall destroyed ecological balance in the impacted areas. Most of pond water got contaminated. Partner organisation’s volunteers in field therefore disinfected villages by spreading lime and bleach at different places such as road side, common and individual pond, market place, drinking water sources spots. A total of 15 villages have been disinfected.
Shelter support: Many people have been rendered homeless, hence requiring facilitation for interim accommodation. SEEDS has taken up and is engaged in restoration of 10 shelters.
Mobile health camp: Medical bus with equipment, medicines and specialized doctors moved from village to village to monitor the status of people’s health, diagnose them and provide them with appropriate medicines. A total of 1601 people have been reached out to through this initiative across West Bengal.
For full report on SEEDS activities on ground, please click here.
