1. The need for Emergency Relief has come to an endfor the mostpart. Several unserved or underserved pockets havebeen identified,and relief and medical supplies have been delivered tothem over thelast 48 hours by several organizations. In fact, thereare examples ofmultiple groups coming to the aid of the samecommunity—e.g. onequestion raised at the Nagai Coordination Meeting wasthe need for a mechanism to preclude the possibility of different medical teamsgiving shots to the same people! Our volunteers report some people completely unaffected by the disaster trying to garner or corner supplies.
2. NGOs are pushing the government to formallyannounce the end ofthe Relief Phase, so that donor organizations do notkeep dumping supplies in villages. This is to ensure that communities begin to getinto the 'rehabilitation' mind-set, and to ensure that donors get OUTof the 'relief and charity' mind-set. Also, one can't underestimatethe possibility of resentment building among other poorer communities unaffected by the Tsunami, who are seeing the massive levels of aid going mainly to one community (we have already seen some signs ofthis). We would urge prospective donors to be patient for a few days and evaluate how they can be of assistance in themassive rehabilitation phase yet to come: starting with an interim shelter phase, which the NGOs are hoping will be clearly defined by thegovernment in a way that the govt-NGO-community partnership roles areclearly delineated (e.g. who finances, who supplies material, who overseas, and who actually builds interim shelters).We refer you once again to the Interim Shelter Policy recommendationfrom NGOs inNagapattinam, which has now been formally submitted tothe T.N.Government.
3. In order to have some semblance of control over hundreds of relief trucks going into villages, some without any clear destinations, the local authorities have instituted some procedures.We are told that these procedures are not meant to stop supplies to the needy, but to reduce chaos and duplication: e.g.they are asking supply trucks to first register themselves with local authorities,with a copy of the inventory (e.g. at DRDA, District Rural Development Authority in Cuddalore), and to get a proper ID badgeor token from them.
4. For those without a clear destination, droppingoff supplies atthe NGO Coordination Center at the Nagai and other Collectorates maybe a better option than delivering them to places where the needs may have already been met, and face the risk of supplies falling into local politicians or power brokers' hands. Another alternative is todeliver supplies to regional centers being run by NGOs like AID and SIFFS, who can then systematically evaluate the needs of the communityin their areas and deliver them to the neediest.
5. Some international relief workers are arriving unannounced, with skills entirely inappropriate for this disaster assistance. As community workers emphasized in the Sunday meeting in Chennai, the immediate needs are: Volunteers willing to roll up sleeves and clear debris and dead bodies (as the military is doing insome places, andDalits, NGO volunteers, and even some corporate employees are doing inother places); Women volunteers with Tamil skills, who are willing to stay with communities for some time, acting as companions to bereaved women; and Organizational support to NGOs and the NGOCoordinationCenter--for e.g. to record and transcribe minutes(even here,knowledge of Tamil is preferred); and back office support to install IT systems in a hurry, to enter data (e.g. surveysbeing conducted byvarious groups), to maintain databases, and to communicate with other coordination points such as Chennai, Pondicherry, etc.Another need that has been expressed are Tamil speaking (preferably women)volunteers to serve as data gatherers in a possibleNGO-lead comprehensive damage assessment survey
6. "You ask for bread and you get a bakery," was one observation heard today that aptly describes some of groups who,in their well-intentioned desire to help, are offering anything from advanced power intensive water-making machines from the air, to advanced therapy techniques, to a plane load of milk, to disaster management training courses, and even scuba divers! As we heard in the Sunday meeting, the need to help may already be overwhelming the need for help. There are groups with loaded trucks andvolunteers ready to go to the affected areas from various cities, but withouta clue as towhere they are headed, and what they are going to doto help. We are getting many calls that fall in this category, and our advice is:"Please do not go now, but wait for a few days untilthe shelter and rehab needs are better defined, which will surelyrequire a lot ofhelp. If you must go, please be ready to plunge intodebris clearingwork, or link up first with someone already on the scene who knows exactly how and where you can help, or with those who may need to be relieved after several days of hard work."
7. Some of the Needs coordinated will give some idea of the latest needs:
1. More tippers and volunteers to clear debris(some groupswere willing to clear debris, provided they did notcome in contactwith bodies.)
2. Water purification tablets and 2 tons ofwater forhospitals in the Andamans, which was coordinated withthe Air Force at Tambaram
3. More preassembled rations kits and vesselkits forvillages near Karaikal, Pulicat, Kalpakkam, and Pondy
4. We are CURRENTLY organizing:
i.100 Cell phones and SIM cards for volunteers workingin the relief efforts
ii,.Financial, IT, and human resources for back officesupport, and damageand needs assessment surveys
iii.Large quantities of disinfectant for to use inpost-cleanup of debrisand bodies in villages (has already been sourced byTTK in the UK)
iv.Women's undergarments
8. Rehabilitation of Villages:
NGOs are strongly advising the government against allowing the concept of 'adopting'villages, which carries certain patronizing implications that drive the approach towards rebuilding and rehabilitating the communities(based onexperiences from other disasters, where there wereeven some attemptsto change the names of 'adopted' villages to donor-friendly names!)They are urging that the government invite groups to take 'responsibility' for certain villages in an organized manner, and inconsultation with the community--more as a long-term partnership. Wehope that this and other similar issues will also bespelled out soonin a recommendation to the government.
9. Rehabilitation of Livelihoods: Continuing discussions with the fishing community indicates that the approach to restoration of lost crafts and nets is likely to be quite complicated. Any discussion of replacing lost or damaged catamarans could have huge supply andenvironmental implications (one fishing group reportedthat 35,000 outof 50,000 catamarans--cost of Rs. 15 to 20,000--mayhave been lost ordamaged.) On the other hand, any plan to replace catamarans with motorized fiber glass boats (cost of Rs. 85,000 andare made inseveral parts of the South) could have huge financial and sourcing supply implications (the same fishing source reportedthat there were 2,500 motorized boats before the Tsunami.) Also, we are told that there are ten different types of fishing nets used inTamilnadu, based on the time of the year. We mention these notes, only to underscore that hurrying to donate boats or catamarans or nets, without a proper Needs Assessment, dove-tailed the policy and compensation plan by the government may be unproductive and disruptive. Also, given the enormous coverage that the plight of the affected fishing communities is getting in the press, we would like to note that there are a significant number of non-fishing villages which are also affected, and whose livelihood and rehab needs may be vastlydifferent.
10. Desire to Seek Alternative Livelihoods: We have also heard instances of fishermen, already frustrated in recent years by what we are told is the diminishing catch in the seas, who may be looking at this disaster as an opportunity to seek alternative livelihoods. This certainly adds another dimension to the rehab plans,turning the age old adage, "Don't give them fish; teach them how to fish" on its head. In this instance, relief agencies have not only NOT given them anyfish (but lots of rice and dhal and sambar powder!) over the last tendays, but we may have to teach some of them not to fish!
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