The flood has receded, leaving behind the tragic story of loss and bereavement. Aggrieved people in the ravaged areas are slowly reconciling to their fate and beginning to restart their life. From their collapsed houses, they are desperately trying to pick up broken bricks and sticks to weave a new nest to shelter in.
Two-thirds of Orissa reeled under high floods in most part of the September. Forty lakh people remained marooned with hungry belly for over 15 days. Nearly 80 human lives were lost and over two thousand domestic animals got killed in the calamity.
Amidst the flood fury, one thing was clearly evident. Apart from governmental support, big corporate houses, Central government public sector undertakings, educational institutes, non-governmental organisations stood by the flood victims solidly.
Major corporate houses like Tata Steel, Essel Mining and Essar and Central PSUs such as National Aluminium Company Limited (Nalco), National Thermal Power Corporation Limited and Paradip Port Trust carried out relief operations in the worst-hit pockets by providing dry food and cooked meals. Some of them even generously donated to the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund for flood victims.
Tata Relief Committee (TRC), in collaboration with the state administration, came to the assistance of over 50,000 flood-affected spread over in Jajpur, Puri and Keonjhar districts. In the first phase, the TRC distributed dry food, drinking water pouches, candles, polythene sheets and match boxes to the flood-hit people in the inundated areas. The state witnessed two spells of flood in the month of September which affected a large population.
In Joda, the company also undertook a sanitation drive.
Central PSU Mahanadi Coalfields donated `2 crores, while Nalco and Paradip Port Trust gave `1 crore and `50 lakhs, respectively, to the CM’s Relief Fund.
Anand Marga Universal Relief Team, which had shown exemplary courage during the 1999 super cyclone relief and rescue operation, once again extended its support with full force. Its trained manpower, without caring for violent nature of swelling rivers and the turbulent current, reached to hundreds of marooned people.
Timely support by both government agencies, private organisations and generous individuals, as revenue minister Sura Narayan Patra admits, made priceless contribution to the government’s rescue efforts.
to face the challenge thrown by the destructive flood.