Relief for 500 Cyclone affected Communities- India

Post Cyclone Psychosocial Care

The extremely Severe Cyclone “FANI” has devastated Odisha on 3rd May 2019 causing huge loss to the infrastructure and livelihood in coastal side. Its our primary duty to support our people affected by this calamity. Disaster is a natural cause. It affects children, elderly people, women, men and different able person. Children are particularly vulnerable to the effects of this cyclone. They were very scared and traumatic condition. They have not attended in school after reopening school. 

Post Disaster was very important for the communities in affected areas.  So we penetrated with the support of Basic Needs India in Fani affect ted area of Puri & Khurdha district. We had drawn up a plan for psychological trauma due to the cause of cyclone in different pockets. It has been severely impacted in mental health with the communities. Basing on this, training and meeting was conducted at different level to overcome stress after disinter.

It helps individuals and communities to heal the psychological injury and rebuild social structures after a critical tragedy. It can help to change people into active survivors rather than passive victims. 

In group interaction different categories people were involved like elderly, men, women, adolescents, different able person. They shared their problem during and after cyclone. They were evacuated to a safer place nearby their place. When they came back to their home they saw nothing was there . They lost lots of things. House collapsed, identity card lost, children lost their education materials, food.

Volunteers counseled to the children and they created child friendly spaces to engage children in activities for psychosocial recuperation.  Through education materials and play material volunteer engaged children actively in group activities like drawing, singing, dancing, playing etc. which helped them to understand, express and cope with their own emotions. It was good impact that, children didn’t feel isolate and they went to school in a regular mode, as a result their fear tendency slowly slowly came down.

In group interaction different categories people were involved like elderly, men, women, adolescents, different able person. They shared their problem during and after cyclone. They were evacuated to a safer place nearby their place. When they came back to their home they saw nothing was there in their house. They lost lots of things. House collapsed, identity card lost, children lost their education materials, foods, household things, physically injured, psychologically also got stressed etc.

After training volunteers are tuned up in giving counseling, handle the traumatized people. Volunteers counseled to the traumatized people and children. They refer to the Govt. hospital wherever they required physically injured and referred to  psychiatric doctor for treatment those are mentally ill due to Fani. Volunteers also linked people in different Govt. scheme and also linked with different other organization where they need other support like relief and other social support.

Most people recovered after group discussion and repeated counseling. Some are still needed additional support regarding mental health care. Health care providers also participated in this process. They understood this issue and supported to the communities in helping their recovery process.

Story Changes after Disaster

Sujata (name changed) is 45 year old lives in Akrakuda village. She was living with her son. She was worried and got disturbed when she got heard that her son was suffering from cancer. Her family life was totally disturbed. Slowly she felt worried and stressed. After Cyclone Fani her health was deteriorated. She disturbed with mental health.  Even she couldn’t take food in time. She was giving every food to cattle. She wasn’t taking bath regularly. She was talking by herself. Someday she was inactive in doing work than before.

Through intervention, Volunteer (Akash) identified this case and discussed with Sundari and her family members. He counseled her and her family member regularly.  Then Sundari went to hospital for treatment.  Doctor diagnosed her and gave medicine for mental health.  It was ensured that, she didn’t discontinue her medicine. Now she is taking medicine regularly. 

Now she is better than before. Slowly she is doing her work. She is talking with other family members.   She is active now. 

Joya (name changed) is 20years old lady staying with her husband in Balabhadrapur village, Satpada. She was always sitting alone. After fani she vividly recalled scene. She scares when that comes in front of her mind. She was laughing, muttering to herself and shows some symptoms of mental illness.

Through the intervention, volunteer identified this case. Volunteer counseled her and her family. Jhansi went to doctor. Doctor diagnosed her and prescribed for medicine. She is taking medicine regularly.  After taking medicines she improved radically. Follow up visit is going on regularly. Family members also taking care of her. Now she is talking with all in her house. She is improving slowly and better than before.

• Report of Post Cyclone psychosocial care (PDF)
  

The severe cyclonic storm ‘Fani’ landfall in the coastal of Bay of Bengal on 3^rd May 2019. It was intensified into extreme severe cyclonic storm in coastal area of Odisha mainly Puri. Due to this the area Puri, Khordha, Paradeep, Cuttack, Jagatsinghpur areas were devastated.   There has been major damaged happened   in this areas. This severe storm affected 14 districts in Odisha include of 18,388 villages. The Fani caused extensive damage and impacted life and property of maximum (more than 1crore) people in the State of Odisha. More than 5lakh houses were damaged. Livelihoods were badly affected. The Government did a great job in advance to evacuate people from the vulnerable areas. Many families were living in temporary houses. it took massive efforts for affected people to rebuild their lives. Still many houses are not rebuilt. Safe drinking water was the major challenge in affected areas.  Due to heavy rains and cyclone ground water level was affected.

Various voluntary Organizations played a vital role in relief distribution and rehabilitation work in affected areas

Distribution of Education Material to School going Children:

Many children have suffered due to this Fani cyclone. Nearly 6000 schools and anganwadi centers were damaged. The evacuation was done so hurriedly and due to severe cyclone, lots of children have lost their all education material like Book, notebook, stationary etc. children were much worried about their study and started trauma.

We provided study kit and school bags to all school going children who lost their books, bags other study materials. These things reduce stress among the children. One bookself has provided to school for school library to access books

Post Disaster Psycho Social Care:

Fani hited Coastal Odisha and took time to back to normal. But this severe cyclonic storm has impacted mental health of affected people those who have lost their property and livelihood. The post-disaster create a serious risk to life due to injury, trauma and health infections.  In this time mental health problems is massive in individual, families and communities and it is invisible. Looking into this, psychosocial care was required in the community of affected areas. Early identification and timely intervention help the survivor to recover soon and start their normal life.

YCDA started Psycho social support with mental health professional from NIMHANS and BNI. A team was deployed and has identified the vulnerable areas through mapping . The team chalked out the intervention plan in Bramhagiri, Krushna Prasad area of Puri district and Khordha district. Volunteers are doing counseling to the Fani survivors and children. They also referred persons to the hospital who needs medical treatment.

Training of Volunteers on Psychosocial Care:

Training was conducted on Post Disaster Psycosocial support by YCDA with support of NIMHANS and BNI.  All total 50 nos of volunteers were trained to handle the mental health strain in the community.  It helps the communities to cope better with the psychological trauma they undergo during and after the disaster.

After training volunteers penetrated into the community and they observed lot of things. They discussed with the fani survivors.  Traumatic experiences cause lot of stress.  People have stated their symptoms how they have been in burnout condition.

• Loss of interest in life
• Reduced Activity
• No energy
• Restlessness
• Difficulty in concentration
• Sleep Disturbances

Counseling to Fani survivors: Many community people and children are suffering from Post traumatic stress disorder. So it is important to provide counseling to the survivors for relax and back to normal life. After counseling volunteers found, survivors need medical support. Volunteers referred 640 person to District medical to access mental health care services. Some persons are now better than before. They are involving their daily work. Still many survivors are not come out from mental stress. It will take little more time to come back to their normal life.

Smiling for long time after long days…….

Sasmita is 12 years and her family belongs to Arkuda village of Krushnaprasad block of Odisha. The village is located remotely. Her house was totally damaged. She also lost her books and other educational material. Like her, other children also lost their educational materials.

All children including Sasmita tried to collect their books, notebooks, school bag, pen and other things from the remains of house after disaster. She was terribly upset as she couldn’t get back a single paper or pen from the house. She was very much worried about her study, so it took her little time to collect her books from her senior friends and relatives. It was very difficult for her to get back books. She was also worried about that. After reopen of school, she was surprised that, most of the things in school was damaged. Doors, window, school fan were damaged. On after 7 days of reopen of school she came to know that, Books and other educational material will be distributed in her school to all children. She couldn’t believe. It was quite happy time for her.

All the students were said to queues in class wise. Then a bag with full of education materials with colourfull items were inside the bag were distributed to all children. Sasmita got her bag and full of smile came to her face. She couldn’t believe it she will get all thing in very quick days. Then she ran to her house and hug to her mother. Her mother and her family members felt so happy to see Sasmita smiling for long time after long days. After that, Sasmita started her and go to school regularly.

• Report_of_Fani_.pdf (PDF)