World Vision India prepares communities as super cyclone Phailin threatens India

CHENNAI, India - Oct. 13, 2013 - PRLog -- World Vision staff are on alert and have made preparations as Cyclone Phailin continues to intensify on its trek towards India.  Forecasters predict it could be the “strongest tropical event world-wide this year”.

According to media reports, around 35 million people are in danger of being affected, Reports also suggest that the cyclone could be of the same intensity as that of the one that struck Odisha in 1999, which killed over 10,000 people. So far, the Government has evacuated over 300,000 people living in coastal villages. The people have been moved to cyclone shelters and schools built on elevated areas.

Already World Vision teams on the ground are seeing signs of the storm.

“Our staff along the coast have been seeing rain falling continuously and winds pick up.  People have been trying to stock up on essentials and that has caused the price of many items to be driven higher,” said Dharmendra Naik, manager of World Vision India ’s programs in Jagathsinghpur district.

“In a storm of this magnitude there is the potential for widespread damage to crops and livestock in the low-lying coastal areas and houses completely wiped away. So while we are praying this storm loses intensity, we’re also preparing,” said Kunal Shah, the head of World Vision’s emergency response in India.

Several of World Vision’s programs are in the direct path of Cyclone Phailin.  Staff have been alerting communities and providing megaphones, life jackets, torch lights and ropes to the Community Task Force. The Community Task Force consists of men, women and youth from within the community who are trained in disaster preparedness including search and rescue, basic first aid and protecting livestock.In addition, 6,000 response kits have been pre-positioned so they can be deployed immediately if needed.  The kits contain bed nets, plastic mats, cotton bed sheets, tarpaulin, cooking utensils, plates and a bucket.

World Vision has been working for several years with vulnerable communities in India to help them better prepare for severe weather events.  With the organization’s help, communities prepare plans for what they will do when a disaster strikes. Families with livestock or crops have also received training to take immediate action and protect their livelihoods from the storm.

World Vision India is also in touch with the Inter Agency Group at Andhra Pradesh, Orissa, and Kolkata team for a coordinated response. As a humanitarian relief organization, in times of calamities and natural disasters like Tsunamis, earthquakes, floods and droughts, World Vision India provides immediate relief, subsequently followed by a long term rehabilitation programme. World Vision India is also a member of Sphere India, which is an all-inclusive Humanitarian Alliance in India. The members include key nodal agencies from the Government of India, UN, INGOs, NGO Networks and National NGOs.

About World Vision India

World Vision India is a Christian humanitarian organisation working to create lasting change in the lives of children, families and communities living in poverty and injustice. World Vision serves all people regardless of religion, caste, race, ethnicity or gender.

Through development, relief and advocacy, we strive/seek to create lasting change in the lives of children, their families and communities living in contexts of poverty and injustice. World Vision works in nearly 100 countries worldwide, and we have been in India since 1962. Today we work in over 5300 urban, rural and tribal communities spread over 163 districts across 26 states impacting the lives of 24 lakh children.