Disaster Program
disaster
DISASTER MANAGEMENT & MITIGATION

India is second only to China in terms of the total number of people affected by disasters. Between 1980 and 1999, 110,131 people were killed by disasters in India, according to official figures (UNDP). It is unlikely the real figures are considerably higher. Hazard maps of India show that North India is far more vulnerable than South India. Forecasts are for increasing natural disasters, cyclones, floods, earthquakes, drought and rises in sea level. In addition, devastating man made disasters take place, resulting from industrial pollution, communal violence, etc.

EHA's Response

EHA has responded to disasters for over the past decade both in India and internationally. EHA's crisis response in the disaster areas have led to sustainable change in the community. Some of the areas where EHA intervened are:

  • 1991 Uttarkashi Earthquake

  • 1993 Latur Earthquake: Following the devastating Latur Earthquake in Central India (25,000 dead), EHA was able to build and run a new 30-bed hospital with a community health and development program in thirty villages. The work has now expanded to include AIDS awareness programme with a special focus on HIV +ve women.

  • 1999 Orissa Super Cyclone: Medical teams working in the aftermath of the mega-cyclone in Orissa (1999) identified numbers of widows and young women, no longer with marriage prospects, drifting towards prostitution in Calcutta and other cities. EHA focused on women's development with grass-roots health care training, functional literacy, income generation skills and women's self-help cooperatives.

  • 1999 Kosovo: EHA sent teams of doctors and health workers to work in Albania in 1999, caring for Kosovan refugees. Their contribution in both the camps and government hospitals were highly commended by both the Albanian Government and the United Nations (UNHCR).

  • 2001 Gujarat Earthquake: Following the earthquake that hit Gujarat in Jan 2001, EHA participated in the relief work in Jamnagar area. The work expanded to a community health and development project with activities including formation of Community Organization, Self-help Groups and adolescent groups in the villages, Literacy, Health clinics, Skill development training, Micro-enterprise development and Disaster preparedness, amongst communities where no other agencies were undertaking a Rehabilitation phase.

  • 2002 Gujarat refugee camps following communal violence.

  • 2004 Tsunami Andaman & Nicobar Islands, South India

  • 2005 South Asia Earthquake

  • 2005 Karbi Anglong Conflict in North-east India

  • 2005 Banda Flood

In addition EHA units contribute to relief, when needed, in their own locality; e.g. floods in U.P, Assam, Bihar etc.

Disaster Management Unit

In 2002 EHA set up a Disaster Response Unit to respond to the various Disasters and coordinate activities with its partner agencies.

EHA responds to the disasters in partnership with EFICOR and Discipleship Centre which together form the Disaster Coordination Committee (DCC).

EHA is committed to seeking to evaluate and respond as appropriate to:

The emergency phase - first 48 hours

The relief phase - often with food, shelter scarcity and threat of epidemic up to one month or more.

The rehabilitation phase - period during which initial dangers to survival are over, but when a community is seeking to rebuild its infrastructure.

Networking

IEM and Pillar Health Center were EHA's Partner organizations in the Andaman & Nicobar Islands and Christian Medical College, Vellore and Evangelical Medical Fellowship of India were the partners in Tamil Nadu for Tsunami relief.

Burrows Memorial Hospital tied up with EFICOR to provide relief when floods struck Silchar district in Assam. EHA networked with Gospel Echoing Missionary Society (GEMS) in Muzzafarpur, Madhubhani. & Samastipur during the floods in Bihar. Duncan Hospital Madhipura Christian Hospital also did relief work in partnership with EFICOR.

Partners

The Tsunami saw many new and old agencies coming forward to help EHA. Tearfund UK continued to be EHA's main supporter. Arch Bishops Appeal in Sydney sponsored EHA's Ashasagar project in Andaman & Nicobar Islands. MAP International sent a huge consignment of drugs and funded the Tamilnadu intervention. North West Medical Team International and LEADS were EHA's partners in Sri Lanka where relief work was done in the politically sensitive Tamil dominant areas. Besides this many organizations and churches helped us with donations during the Tsunami and have expressed interest in continuing the partnership with EHA in disaster related activities. EHA also helped Dr Reji in Kalpakkam in the rehabilitation of Tsunami affected fisher folk.

Roy Alex is EHA's Manager for Disaster Management and Mitigation Unit.
For any information please contact:
Roy at 09818637613 or 91- 11-3088-4045, 4046, 4047.
email id royalex@eha-health.org