On 14 August 2018, severe floods affected the south Indian state Kerala, due to unusually high rainfall during the monsoon season. It was the worst flood in Kerala in nearly a century. Over 483 people died, and 140 went missing. During the initial spell of the rains in the month of August 2018, SEESHA’s relief team quickly arrived at Kerala and set-up volunteer networks. They effectively reached out to the affected people by coordinating with the local volunteers and actively participated in rescue operations. Our team overcame many risks and challenges to assess the conditions of the badly affected areas defying the deadliest floods.

KERALA FLOOD RELIEF MEDICAL CAMP

SEESHA medical team comprising of senior doctors, psychologists and paramedical staff along with the volunteers reached out to the six villages around Kuttanad addressing the immediate health needs of the flood affected people by conducting medical camps, to sensitive people and prevent epidemic outbreaks during times of calamity. Our healthcare support team through SEESHA Wellness Care Centre organised free medical camps to treat 100 people per day directly and provided basic medicines. The medical team provided psychosocial support to the people in trauma and suffering from the loss of houses and belongings. Many have lost their entire lifetime savings and struggling to rebuild their lives from scratch. SEESHA also assisted them by providing support through expert psychologists and trauma counselling to get them back on their feet.

After rescue and medical relief operations, as part of the second phase, our SEESHA team successfully distributed 500 Dry ration kits comprising of rice, dhal, cooking oil, toiletries and other essential items. Household utensils and materials like cookers, bedsheets, towels, and basic clothing to men and women such as lungi and nighty were also distributed along with more than 2000 school kits to the needy children at the relief camps. As this rehabilitation work would be a long-term process, we need your continual support to carry out the relief work.