Healthcare management of disaster affected communities

Previous experience in Disaster Management:

SMART- Sevakiran Disaster Management and Rescue Team

The SMART team provides emergency support for disaster recovery, risk reduction measures and immediate relief at the time of natural calamities like landslides and floods especially in the border areas of Idukki and Ernakulam District.

We cover

• Preparedness-early intervention
• Disaster risk reduction measures
• Awareness programs towards disaster preparedness
• Rehabilitation and development, creating resilience in the community
• Health care management as part of disaster management phase

SMART Activities in 2013

·         The volunteers of Sevakiran Charitable Society lead the service and help towards the people, who suffered badly during June 2013 by act of God in Cheeyappara, and Malayinchi. We provided food and drinking water to the force reached there for voluntary works.

·         We opened a rehabilitation camp at Thrikkariyoor Devaswom Board School during June to serve the people and provided them with facilities to fulfill their basic needs. As per the request from revenue officials, we arranged food packets and served to the people protected by government officials in Lower Primary School of Kothamangalam.

·         We served food products to the tribal people of the Uriyampetti area, as per the request of their Panchayath Member and 73 families received help from Sevakiran during  July 2013.

SMART Activities in 2014

·         This year in the month of July, there was heavy rain in and around Kothamangalam. Many families were affected by flood and they were evacuated from their houses. Smart started a rescue camp in Vivekananda Vidyalayam for 36 families for 2 days. They were provided with necessary amenities, food, and medical assistance.

SMART Activities in 2017

·         SMART a project of Sevakiran with the objective of doing rescue operations by the help of socially committed and trained volunteers. This year was comparatively hassle-free and no major disasters or natural calamities affected the region. So, our activities were limited to monsoon preparedness training and general orientation for the volunteers as routine refresher course.This year, we were able to conduct successful flood relief activities at Thrikkariyoor during monsoon 2017.  We were able to serve more than 30 affected families, providing food, basic medicines, and supplies 

SMART Activities in 2018 & 2019

Kerala witnessed the toughest days of monsoon flood in 2018 and 2019. The rarest phenomenon of tremendous rainfall, flooding of dams and simultaneous discharge of 33 dams led to unpredictable damages to the lives and assets of more than 10 lakh people directly and affected the entire State indirectly. More than 10000 kilometers of roads, all the freshwater resources, more than 3 lakh houses and an almost equal volume of other constructions were severely affected. 

In view of this toughest disaster of the century; all the government and non-governmental agencies shifted their focus to the disaster response. Sevakiran also worked at the forefront of this unmanageable disaster and worked shoulder to shoulder with the field team. We collected and distributed a pretty high volume of materials and money and mobilized a huge number of volunteers to work in rescue, relief and recovery phases with dedication. We haven’t withdrawn fully from the field since much work is left undone as per our assessment, which is very important in settling the affected persons back to their habitats.

Our team of experts and professionals drafted project charter for the flood relief within hours and highlights of the plan were briefed to the volunteers. Immediately after this, volunteers were divided into teams and moved to the forefront for rescue tasks. A helpline was set up and Vivekananda Vidyalayam Kothamangalam was made the base camp. 

Rescue:

1. 20 trained volunteers in rescue
2. 10 persons for facilitation tasks
3. 30 volunteers in camps
4. 10 persons for back-office coordination
5. 30 person standby to support teams   Relief
6. 40 persons in camps
7. 20 persons in routes with supplies
8. 10 persons for back-office coordination
9. 30 person standby to support teams

Recovery:

1. 70 persons in routes for cleaning and supplies
2. 5 persons for facilitation tasks
3. 10 volunteers in camps
4. 5 persons for back-office coordination
5. 20 persons for a survey and need assessment
6. 40 trained persons for extended supportsRehabilitation
7. 2 persons for back-office coordination
8. 20 persons for a survey and need assessment
9. 3 persons for facilitation tasks

PHASE I: RESCUE & RELIEF

The rescue was the top priority in the first phase. Our volunteers engaged in rescue operations and saved many families. These people were moved immediately to the relief camps where they were served with food, water, medical help as well as quality clothing and accommodation. Together with this; 1000 food packets and bottled water were carried by volunteers every day when moving for rescue to serve people in need. 

PHASE II: RELIEF & RECOVERY

From 19th onwards, as the water levels went down, people started to move back to their homes. At this point, we started recovery operations. Rescue team started relief tasks by cleaning houses, wells, and other buildings to make it fit enough for living. Sanitation, health, and reduction of hazards like infections, injuries, and epidemics were the prime focus at this point. All teams carried food, bottled water, disinfectants and sanitation materials for the communities. We cleaned several houses, wells and other places including roads and pavements to make it fit enough for human purposes. Material kits were distributed to people on their return to homes.

PHASE III: RECOVERY, REHABILITATION, HOUSE CONSTRUCTION

Camps closed by 26th and all moved back to their homes. At this point, our volunteers focused on cleaning and sanitation tasks. The first distribution kit included first aid, sanitation materials, packed foods, groceries, stationery, clothes, and basic household utensils. Settling in flood-affected houses was not easy. So, we started psychosocial supports and medical camps for people immediately. Our first medical camp started on 24th and the first psychosocial support started on the 2nd of September. We helped with basic medicines and spectacles for the needy through medical camps in 5 different places, which gained widespread appreciation. Our first psychosocial support for school children gained a high appreciation and we have received requests from many parts of Ernakulam and Idukki to extend this support. We are constructing 20 houses for those who lost the houses in connection with the flood

In the psychosocial support secession, we helped 100 school children from flood-affected families with measures as follows.

• Freestyle games for children to support open up and socialization. During this secession, our experts observed peer interaction patterns and planned individual secessions accordingly.
• Guided games and for icebreaking. This motivated students to come out of the nutshells and express themselves.
• Parent interaction: This helped to cross-check the validity of our observations.
• Individual sittings with selected children
• Group message to motivate the participants.