People helping people

When huge waves threw people out, when the ground opened up and buildings collapsed like a deck of cards, when the water rose and people were trapped - that was when the three major world disasters struck not very long ago.
Currently in Mamallapuram for a get-together to share their experiences during those horrid days, when no help came and money meant nothing, are 25 participants from NGOs working on the rehabilitation of the victims of the tsunami in India, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Indonesia, the desolating Pakistan earthquake and the devastating hurricane Katrina in America.
Wrapped in creative presentations, different emotions, mostly of pain and desolation, came out as participants recounted stories of where they were, what they were thinking of and what happened seconds, minutes and hours after the disaster struck.
'To gather information and come up with a resolution on how to handle disasters with less or no damage to life, more than property, is what we envision in this workshop,' said Victoria Dunning, Director of Grant Making, Global Fund for Children. According to her, the members of the local community are the first responders to any disaster and the best source of information on how to tell the world to be better equipped in case another disaster strikes.
Enveloped in deep emotion, participants from countries affected by this devastating tsunami said they knew of cyclone, typhoons, windstorm and other such occurrences happening in a country situated near the sea but they had not heard of tsunami. 'Had we been informed and educated on what a tsunami is and how we should handle its occurrence, there would have been less loss of life and properties,' said a woan from Banda Aceh, Indonesia.
The wounds in the body can be easily cured but the wounds in the heart take time to heal. That was how S Desingu, a village worker from Mamallapuram summarised his experience. He is a member of the Society for Education and Action, an NGO working with the fishing community in coastal Tamilnadu People, according to him, helped other people. Help from other ends came much later, and from the government, far too late.
'I tried my best to save as many people as I could but I could not go far enough to reach old people thrown out in the wind and young boys and girls crying for help.' People were still recovering. Many were yet to venture into the sea again and 'many dare not look at the waters once more.'
'There had been a prediction about the tsunami, but our government kept quiet about it for fear of the income from tourism being affected,' said says a participant from Thailand. She added that the government never bothered about lost lives and rebuilding what was left of the people. 'They were more concerned about making the place attractive again for tourists to keep coming,' she remarked.
On October 2005, when a powerful earthquake rocked Pakistan, more than 50000 people were killed within 30 seconds, lakhs were rendered homeless and an insurmountable number were left looking at a bleak future. Pakistanis or not, people got together like one big family in support of one another. 'Relief came but what mattered most was the knowledge that there are people who are ready to lend a helping hand to get up and start life anew,' said Sameena Nazir of the Potohan Organisation for Development Advocacy, Narah Mughlan, Pakistan.
The count started from day one, then it was the tenth, the thirtieth, three months until it was day 300, still no help was forthcoming. The endless wait for help during the hurricane Katrina disaster saw people go hungry and fall sick, search for their belongings and found nothing, explore possibilities of escape but discovered nowhere. 'One thing admirable about the whole situation is the spirit of people willingly helping other people,' said Benny Pucket Sr of the Zion Travelers Cooperative Centre, Louisianna.
Where were you when the disaster struck? What were you thinking? How did you feel? Words said in a whisper during their days of grief are now reverberated for everyone to know and for everyone to be aware of the danger lurking behind every disaster. And the fact that had the people been equipped with information on what to and not to expect, what should and should not be done when disaster strikes, a lot more lives could have been saved.
The five-day workshop ended today with the writing of a disaster-learning manifesto by all 25 participants. The workshop organiser, Global Fund for Children, as part of its effort to strengthen grassroots initiatives to improve the lives of children who would otherwise be left behind, will circulate the manifesto to various groups all over the world.

***Published in Newstoday, 25 May 2007, page 8