CYCLONE AMPHAN DISASTER RESPONSE
You are all aware of the devastation wrecked by the Extremely Severe Cyclonic Storm AMPHAN, continuous heavy rainfall, coastal inundation & flooding due to high tides & embankment ruptures in South & North 24 Parganas, including The Sunderbans, Purba Medinipur, parts of Kolkata & Howrah, Hooghly, Nadia, Murshidabad districts of southern Bengal, and coastal district Balasore of Odisha before moving off towards the neighbouring Bangladesh.
Though evacuation was done to some extent by the administration, mortality and morbidity alert is of serious importance, especially among the teeming crores of rural poor who were already badly hit by Covid-19, and subsequent impoverishment due to lockdown. The economic & social turbulence that has been stirred has further hit the poorest in their underbelly. People across the country have been desperately trying to return to their homelands, but at very bitter cost. The focus of Covid-19 that had initially been in the metropoles, has thus been transported deep into the countryside, aggravated by the initiation of Unlock Covid, which is really causing a serious apprehension in the AMPHAN-hit zones both for the medical teams, and the locals, forcing us to consider our plan of action accordingly.
Crores of people are affected. The cyclone has uprooted lakhs of trees, poles, towers, 'kuchcha' houses, roof-tops, disrupted road & tele connectivity at most places. Even the capital city of Kolkata was cut off for over a week. Hence innumerable inhabitants, crops, domestic & wild animals lie stranded, fishes & trees rot in ponds rendering such water a menace. People lay exposed to dehydration and diseases. Languishing in lack of food or potable drinking water, lakhs upon lakhs are at risk of consumption of poor water that may lead to epidemics.
OUR PLAN OF INTERVENTION
FIRST PHASE OF MEDICAL RESPONSE
On behalf of The Medical Service Centre, a socio-medical voluntary organisation working in disaster medical response over 4 decades, we have launched first medical response in the affected districts of South & North 24 Parganas, Purba Medinipur, parts of Kolkata & Howrah.
1st Survey Team led by Dr.Tarun Mandal, Vice President, Medical Service Centre on 23 May 2020 surveyed worst affected blocks of Joynagar 1, Joynagar 2 and Kultali Blocks of South 24 Parganas among the affected marginalised, assessed disaster impact & condition of general relief. Survey feedbacks are also being collected from affected blocks Gosaba, Sagar, Raidighi, Patharpratima, Namkhana, Diamond Harbour, Canning of South 24 Parganas.
2nd Survey Team led by Dr. Ansuman Mitra, Secretary MSC, & In-charge, Disaster Response Cell, MSC, Dr. Susovan Ghosh, Executive Member, MSC WB & Dr. Joydeb Ghora, Secretary, MSC Purba Medinipur surveyed another badly affected block Nandigram on 27 May 2020, took primary stock of Block Khejuri of Purba Medinipur district and met the CMOH, Nandigram Health District to exchange with him and apprise him of the serious risk of GI outbreak, and Covid-19 & non-Covid challenges.
The 1st Pilot Team led by Dr. Mridul Sarkar, CC Member & WB Secretariat Member MSC executed Covid-19 protocol in treating in the community at Nalgora, Joynagar 1 in S 24 Pgs on 30 May 2020. Further Pilot Teams have started functioning with caution in Hingalganj, Sandeshkhali 1 & Basirhat blocks of North 24 Parganas, and the other devastated zones. Survey feedbacks are also being collected from cut off farthest reaches in The Sunderbans where embankment ruptures and saline flooding is continuing unabated. Small group activities are being planned involving village level members & volunteers to thwart any further epidemic. .
SECOND PHASE OF MEDICAL RELIEF CAMPS
After carefully analysing the ongoing civic & health situation, disease spectrum and Covid-19 status, we will plan out the next phase of medical relief. The path to recovery is long and is a big challenge, but you can make a difference by joining the support and rebuilding efforts.
We plan to deliver medical care, psychosocial care, health education regarding individual & community hygiene, safe drinking water, safe food handling, waste disposal, disinfection of contaminated water bodies & tube wells, as well as Covid-19 awareness (Covid-19 & non-Covid diseases) and fighting against the imminent endemic risks of dengue, Japanese B encephalitis, malaria and others. We should be able to supplement government flood relief activities at least in the most marginalized sections of the affected areas.
THE REQUIREMENT
In a day's camp, about 4 doctors & their supporting team of 10 nurses/ students/ health workers/ supporting volunteers work for about 14 hrs, check about 300 patients in various spots. That is about Rs. 100,000/- of medicines, other materials & PPE, general relief & food stuff, communication and logistics per day of camp. You may help contribute for as many days.
OUR APPEAL
At this hour of crisis, we appeal to all well-meaning people & organizations like you to come forward, extend your help to the best of your ability in terms of volunteers, contacts, contribution, medicine, baby food, food stuff, tarpaulin, etc. for the victims; means of transport, communication & logistic support for the relief teams to reach the worst affected people. Also kindly forward this information to your contacts.
Payment may kindly be done through NEFT or A/C payee cheque/draft drawn in favour of MEDICAL SERVICE CENTRE, payable at KOLKATA. We can offer 80G tax rebate (please mail a copy of the payment receipt, xerox/scanned copy of your PAN Card and full address at our Central Office).
BANK ACCOUNT DETAILS:
NEFT
Name of Account : MEDICAL SERVICE CENTRE
Bank : UNITED BANK OF INDIA
A/C No : 0479010060216
Branch : KOLEY MARKET
Branch Code : KLM149
IFSC Code : UTBI0KLM149
GOOGLE PAY
OUR EXPERIENCE & VISIBILITY
It has been our mission since the past four decades to stand by the people in times of disaster, distress and deprivation, particularly following the Super cyclone Orissa 1999, Destructive Earthquake Gujarat
2001, Devastating Tsunami-ravaged Tamilnadu-Andaman & Nicobar-Kerala in the 2004-5, Devastating Cyclone AILA in 2009 and Floods in Assam-Tripura-Bihar-Bengal-Maharashtra-TN 1978, 2000 & again in 2004, 06, 07, 08, & following Kerala-Karnataka Disasters 2018, 19:
