Cyclone Gaja 2018 – a snapshot
- 10 districts affected – Nagapattinam, Thanjavur, Tiruvarur, Pudukottai, Dindigul, Trichy, Karur, Sivaganga, Ramanathapuram, Cuddalore
- 57 people have lost their lives
- 3,78,109 people were put up in 556 relief camps
- 12,298 cattle and 92,507 birds dead
- 3,41,820 housing units damaged (2,78,824 huts and 62.996 tiled houses)
- 11,21,686 trees felled
- 88,102 hectares of agricultural and horticultural lands affected
- Coconut trees in 30,000 hectares affected and paddy cultivation impacted in 32,706 hectares
- Completely damaged boats 1419, partially damaged boats 2625
- 1,03,508 electric poles and 886 transformers damaged
Bhoomika’s Relief Efforts
Bhoomika’s primary relief focus was on Tarpaulins to provide a temporary roof to the affected people: Distributed tarpaulins, bedsheets and sleeping mats to 1000 families in Nagapattinam and Thiruvarur districts.
The immediate response to disasters requires an understanding of ground reality as well as knowledge of relief distribution by Government and others on the field. The impact of Cyclone Gaja causing the roof to fly off or fall, especially thatched roof huts meant that, they needed some protection to go back home from relief camps.
The priority relief material after a disaster would be food, water and shelter. The immediate reactions from the Government and communities around, is to provide food and rations to cook.
Team Bhoomika visited several villages and provided tarpaulins for affected families and got the support of youth in the villages to put up the tarpaulins.
