Medical Camps, Emergency Aid for Cyclone Phailin Survivors

“Thousands of people are homeless, health facilities are damaged or destroyed, and there is an urgent need for basic health services”
–Shripad Desai, managing director of AmeriCares India

To help families struggling in the aftermath of Cyclone Phailin, the strongest storm to hit India since 1999, AmeriCares medical staff, volunteers and partners conducted medical camps to help 3,000 patients, distributed nearly 500 kits containing non-food-items, and delivered 600,000 water purification tablets and other aid to partners.“Thousands of people are homeless, health facilities are damaged or destroyed, and there is an urgent need for basic health services,” said Shripad Desai, managing director of AmeriCares India.  “We are working with local organizations to assist the relief efforts and meet the health needs of survivors.”Even before the cyclone made landfall on October 12, AmeriCares was ready, with pre-positioned relief supplies to help families displaced by the monstrous storm.

Our ongoing response includes:

• Medical Camps: From October 22-26, teams of AmeriCares India medical staff and other volunteers provided medical care for more than 2,300 patients in Kendrapara and Ganjam districts.  In Balasore, we supported our partner, International Medical Corps, with medicines and supplies for a medical camp providing care to 771 patients.
• Water purification tablets: AmeriCares donated 600,000 water purification tablets to our partners.
• Non-Food Items (NFIs):  A total of 489 NFI kits were distributed through our partner, Sparsh Hospital. Each kit contained an LED torchlight, batteries, a comb,  ziplock bags, kitchen essentials, soap, aqua tabs, 2 towels and a plastic mat.
• Food and Water:  800 food packets and 5,000 pouches of drinking water were also distributed to survivors.

While in Odisha, the AmeriCares India team has also been in contact with district government officials, including the Odisha Chief Minister and disaster management officials, to identify needs and develop a plan for an extended response. More than 8 million people in Odisha have been affected by the cyclone, including an estimated 800,000 who fled their homes in one of the largest evacuations ever to take place in the country. Meanwhile, our India team continues to help families still suffering in the aftermath of record flooding in Uttarakhand, with medical camps and relief supplies.  Over the past four months, AmeriCares India medical teams have held 52 medical camps in Uttarakhand treating more than 5,000 patients.