Field Report from Andamans     

 SEEDS.  13 January 2005.  1900 hrs IST

This is our seventeenth day in the Andamans.   We had reached Tamil Nadu on 27 December.  We realised that there are some credible NGOs extending aid there.  Meanwhile the toll in Andaman and Nicobar was rising and no NGO had reached here due to logistics problems. As such, we moved to the Andamans and started relief operations.  Our update is as follows:

1.       Upon arrival in Port Blair on the 28th, our team was asked by the District Administration to assist them by managing two relief camps.  A third was added later.  We have provided tents, set up toilets, organized kitchens, air-shipped basic commodities from Chennai and organised local logistics.  Facilities like T.V, radio, news papers and games are being provided to the people. Psychosocial counselling to the victims has been organised by Ms. Kanan, a prominent local resident, and her team. We are also tying up with local cultural groups for organising cultural events in the camps.  The District Administration has set up more camps in Port Blair, and one has been set up specifically for the tribes.  There are a number of NGO teams in Port Blair now, carrying out relief distribution, assessing the situation and waiting to get clearance to start operations in the remote islands.  Access to some islands nearer by has opened, and relief work has started there.  

2.       Nicobar area is worst hit. Casualty estimates by locals are much higher than the number of bodies found so far. Access to Nicobar is still restricted.  The human impact in Port Blair is lesser but is there in terms of infrastructure.  The administration is busy with putting things back in place. 

3.       The initial 3-4 days were the most difficult for setting the camp facilities up.  We got tremendous support from local volunteers.  The school administration groups and local volunteers have played a very important role in camp management.  We have partnered with Yuva Shakti, a respected local organisation of dedicated youth members, for local relief logistics.  

4.       Now that the camps are established and running well, the local groups are taking a greater lead in managing them. We continue to provide the infrastructure facilities and relief material in the camps, but are also moving out to cover other areas.  We recently started relief operations in a fisher colony in Jungleeghat with about 600 people.  The colony is badly damaged and the people have not moved to the relief camps.  They were staying in make shift spaces with sarees stretched out as shelter, and have very less food.  We are providing tarpaulin shelter, sanitation facilities, milk, biscuits, candles, mosquito coils, toys and books.  We are working to establish a kitchen there by tomorrow.  Mital, our coordinator, along with Bharti, a volunteer from Aventis Mumbai, is leaving for Little Andamans today for rapid assessment and launch of relief operations.

5.       There is a need for undergarments, sanitary napkins, toiletteries, and bedsheets.  We are continuing to procure and ship these to Port Blair for onward distribution.   On an appeal from the Andaman Tsunami Imdad Committee, a local NGO, we are providing two sewing machines, carom boards, toys and sanitary napkins in a relief camp being managed by them in Old Ummat Public School. Alongwith Yuva Shakti, we are engaging with the Social Welfare department to establish and operate crèches attached to relief camps.

6.       We have sought government permission to work on the islands. Permission is required since this is a restricted area.  The islands villages have suffered major damages, and once the evacuees start going back to the villages, they will need support to be able to survive.  We propose to assist by providing boats, tents, household amenities, and technical support in reconstruction, and being with the community till they regain their capacity to sustain themselves. 

7.       So far our team has surveyed some affected settlements in Port Blair city, Wandoor area near Port Blair, and Bamboo Flat Islands.  We have also carried out structural damage assessments of some buildings in Port Blair.  Our report will be available on our website by early next week.  Our team at the Delhi office, assisted by technical volunteers worldwide, is carrying out census and mapping studies of the area so that we are able to act quickly once we get a go ahead.

8.       We are running a helpline to locate persons missing in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Information can be mailed to us at info@seedsindia.org and we will inquire with authorities, publicise it locally and get it aired on radio. We are also getting offers from many volunteers willing to work for relief.  We have put up a volunteer roster on our website and are sharing it with other NGOs.

SEEDS, Port Blair.31 December 2004 at 1800 hrs. IST

SEEDS, Port Blair.30 December 2004 at 1700 hrs. IST