Flood Disaster Response at Tamil Nadu, S.India

REPORT TITLE: CONTINOUS CAPACITY BUILDING TRAININGS AT CHENNAI

PROJECT TITLE: FLOOD DISASTER RESPONSE AT CHENNAI, TAMILNADU, INDIA

PROJECT UNDER: FLOOD DISASTER RESPONSE AT TAMILNADU, S. INDIA

TARGETED SITES: SANTHOSH NAGAR (EGMORE), SAIDAPET AND THANDAIYARPETTAI, CHENNAI

Disaster management capacity building Training was implemented Global giving aided project through our NGO (Chevaliar Roche Society NGO) in Santhosh Nagar, Egmore a slum area of Chennai. The training was conducted for an entire day to the slum people to gain knowledge and awareness on the happenings of any disaster like earthquakes, fire accidents, accidents, tsunamis, etc. People were given training to learn the following: 1) Securing themselves in disastrous situations 2) Giving First Aid 3) Building artificial stretchers for evacuation 4) Using Field Water testing kit 5) Family Welfare Training for woman. The training session on these following crises were given practically by our NGO to give a practical knowledge to the slum people the training effective.

1. SECURING ONESELF IN A DISASTROUS SITUATIONS: Our country has been facing many natural disasters presently, accidents by carelessness caused by fire, electricity, etc are also been faced by vulnerable community often especially in rural areas. So the slum people of Santhosh Nagar were given training sessions to safe guard themselves from such disasters. The training sessions were done by involving the slum peoples in the practical training. Theoretical advices were also given by our NGO members on the training sessions to enhance the trainings for remembrance of the slum people.
2. GIVING FIRST AID: Even when people remain cautious after some securing training facing accidents are unavoidable. So the vulnerable community were given training to provide themselves help and to others when they get hurt. The first step of providing first aid was to identify the type of wound and giving it proper treatment. The people were told to tie bandages with sticks, iron rods in case of fractures or if the hand of the injured person had unbearable pain. The training for first aid concluded with proper instructions regarding the usage of inappropriate medicines like Turmeric powder, Tea powder, etc. In case of more clotting of blood the wounds were advised to be tied with wet cloth.
3. BUILDING ARTIFICIAL STRETCHES FOR EVACUATION: One should be proactive during times of disaster-we could not always dependent upon external help such as ambulances and fire service to come to the rescue. The training is provided in such a manner that the knowledge is imparted so that the people could rescue victims during disasters. When two people join hands together literally, a stretcher is formed artificially. This helps to transport the injured person to a nearby safe place such as an hospital. This is very useful as it does not aggravate the injury and keeps the wound in tact until the person receives treatment. Without the proper knowledge and training, these methods would be hard to implement.
4. FIELD WATER TESTING: Everyone is dependent upon water to live in this world. When such a thing is so precious to life, we must take utmost effort to take care of if and keep it clean. Most of the diseases which affect us today come through drinking water and the unclean hygiene surrounding if. Care should be taken to purify the water which we drink as it would save our health as well as wealth instead of spending our time in the hospital after getting affected by the disease. The purity of the water can be tested by checking the alkalinity as well as the hardness of water through the use of the FIELD WATER TOOL KIT provided by the TWAD BOARD, GOVT. OF INDIA.
5. FAMILY WELFARE TRAINING FOR WOMEN:Women are often considered to be the weaker sex but this myth has strayed long in our parts of the world because they are confined to the homes. Thus when the husband loses his job, as becomes a spendthrift by wasting his money by drinking the family suffers as it is totally dependent upon. By providing training for the women, this so called weaker sex is uplifted. They are able to work on their own by involving themselves in domestic jobs relating to the cottage industry. This leads to the stable nature of the family.

DISASTER MANAGEMENT TRAINING AT SAIDAPET, CHENNAI

Save and rescue training disasters come in many forms at any time. One cannot prevent disasters but one could save oneself and others when affecting saving a life is equal to creating a life. The training on save and rescue was conducted in Saidapet. The participants in the training were field with enthusiasm as they part in many practical activities which greatly enhanced the understanding of save and rescue. Leaders were created in this training who took initiative in leading the groups. Diseases affect the people only their surrounding are not clean. The cleanliness of water was therefore explained and finally the opportunities for women through providing jobs which would suit them was explained. The training was divided into 1) First Aid 2) Disaster management awareness 3) Method to carry for evacuation 4) Conservation of drinking water and 5) Alternative livelihood training.

FIRST AID: Aid should be provided without delay. One should act fast and steady in these situations where prolonging without taking any action would lead to disastrous consequences people are nervous of giving mouth to mouth breathing. Some don’t even know the correct method to do if. Adequate training on it was given in this programme along with the method to check the pulse in the wrist and heart. Sprains are frequent when people injure themselves and so training is given in how to handle and cure the sprains.

DISASTER MANAGEMENT AWARENESS:   One should not be ignorant about disasters. Many think that disasters happen rarely and do not accept that it may happen to them. We should be informed about disasters and its different kinds and on what to do in case if we get stuck in one. Identifying the disaster and providing the solution play two equal parts.

METHODS TO CARRY FOR EVACUATION: wounded persons are difficult to transport as we are overtly dependent upon ambulance and fire services to provide rescue. To take matters into our own hand, we should know the methods to carry of the injured person to a safe place in a safe manner. Making stretchers form part of the training as well as the different methods to carry the injured person. So as to not aggravate the injury.

CONSERVATION OF DRINKING WATER: Nowadays, drinking water is very hard to come by in Tamil Nadu. Even if we are provided with water, if proves to be impure and affects our health. Thus sanitation becomes very poor and we become victims to different disasters. People become negligent about their health in these matters do not care to check upon the alkalinity nor is the hardness Chlorine an important indigrient which help to purify the water.

ALTERNATIVE LIVELIHOOD TRAINING: Self help is the best help one can have. Women are taught to take care of themselves. This is dare through providing training for jobs which would be valuable for them in the longer run and help them take care of their income.

DISASTER MANAGEMENT TRAINING AT THANDAIYAR PETTAI, CHENNAI

Our NGO (Chevaliar Roche Society) through Global giving aided project conducted a disaster management programme in a vulnerable flood affected called Thandaiyarpettai in Chennai. This programme has been a milestone amongst the awareness programme conducted by our NGO since the last few months. This programme was implemented with an aim of giving awareness and knowledge on these five issues: 1) Protecting from disaster 2) Providing First Aid 3) Building stretchers for evacuation 4) Field Water Tool kit analysis 5) Alternative Livelihood Training for women.

PROTECTING FROM DISASTER: The people of Thandaiyarpettai were given awareness on saving themselves from getting hurt during natural disasters take Tsunami, earthquake, etc and from accidental disasters like fire, collapsed buildings, etc. All the awareness practically were demonstrated practically by our NGO members.

PROVIDING FIRST AID: After saving oneself from a disaster or accident he/she if hurt would have the necessity of giving first aid. But people do not have a proper knowledge on providing first aid. So our NGO explained the people of Thandaiyarpettai the appropriate procedure to give first aid when a person is hurt. People who are unaware of treating an hurt person mostly use turmeric powder, tea powder, etc. The clothes they use as bandages must not be unclean all these instructions were given to the rural people. The people of Thadaiyarpettai were also given awareness on the types of wounds is fracture, sprain, etc and practically explained the method of tying bandages with more consciousness.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            

BUILDING STRETCHERS FOR EVACUATION : To carry an injured person to a hospital with bare hands is in appropriate. So the people were given the correct procedure to build artificial stretchers using the clothes, sticks, iron rods, etc from the accidental zone. If no properties in the accidental zone are not helpful in building a stretcher the people can carry the injured person with their base hands in a proper pattern. All those patterns to carry an injured person on the basis of the place of his / her injury was practically illustrated to the unaware people.

FIELD WATER TOOL KIT ANALSIS: Drinking Water of rural areas are more affected and the people forsaken by the Government during a disaster then the urban areas. The reason is that the people of these rural areas have less knowledge. Therefore our NGO mentioned their right to access proper drinking water and to use Field Water Testing.Field Water Testing is a method done to check the level of pollution in drinking water. This testing is also done to check the level of contamination, minerals, chemicals like iron, chlorine, phosphorous, etc. The proper procedure to do field water testing was practically done before the people of Thandaiyarpettai. The people were also told that they can do field water testing without any permission from the government authorities and the tool box for Field Water Testing is provided to their local panchayat office by our NGO.

ALTERNATIVE LIVELIHOOD TRAINING FOR WOMEN: The uneducated women in rural areas remain unemployed because of their lack in education, and employment opportunities which are also less for them. Therefore they are required to get employed on their own by doing business. The idea of doing business based on their talents and how to equip themselves were taught by the members of our NGO. The uneducated women were also given training for starting their own small scale business.