Kerala is experiencing a situation almost similar to what the State faced during the devastating floods of 2018 and 2019. Normal Monsoon in Kerala is from the second half of May until end of September. But this year it has been raining beyond the usual.
From 16th October 2021 onwards it has been heavily raining all over Kerala. By 17th morning there was a huge cloudburst in the central part of Kerala with extreme casualties. Mostly the affected areas are the districts such as Kottayam, Idukki, Thrissur and some parts of Ernakulam. There has been a number of landslides in which two were devastating. They caused flood in the villages such as Plappalli, Kokkayar, Koottikal,Mundakkayam, Ranni, Thodupuzha, Erimeli, Peerumedu, Peruvandhaanam, Eanthayaar, Kanjaar, Poonjaar, Kokkatthodu, Kalleli, Vayakkara and Eettumanoor, to name a few. More than 200 houses were totally washed away in the flash flood caused by landslides and many other houses have been partially damaged.
Several people have been injured and displaced while 25 have died and more than 10 persons are still missing. A total of 105 relief camps have been set up across the central Kerala. Since more rains are expected yellow alert has been issued in Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Kottayam, Patthanamthitta, Alapuzha, Idukki, Ernakulam, Thrissur, Palakkad, Malappuram and Kozhikode. Army, Navy and Air force have been mobilised to carry out flood relief operations. The casualties are still on the rise. It takes a long time to build their life back to normality. We request all of our dear friends, benefactors, well-wishers and healthcare volunteers to support this cause with their prayers, presence or other means of contributions.
CTF began to organizing the medical camps and the relief activities on 18th October. We shall ensure that whatever financial aid you may provide through the CTF-India reaches the deserving. The immediate response aims to: Distribute food provision kits and drinking water to reach out to 11,640 families and 58200 beneficiaries through this act of charity; Build medical camps and bring medical aid since people are in need of daily medicines, medical check-ups, treatment for the cancer patients and dialysis for the kidney failure patients, medical and surgical equipment and for medical interventions at the hospital for the poor sick; Recover household items lost during the flood, such as kitchen appliances and household materials (tables, chairs, Cots, Kitchen appliances, beds, buckets and plates etc; Distribute the necessary clothes (for men, women; children, bedsheets, towels etc..) for their further going and living as per their needs; Distribute cleaning materials for the houses so that people can move back home from the relief camps; Buy the construction materials for the damaged or destroyed houses. We help partially to rebuild the damaged houses to help the poor families.
CADIS International is appealing to your generosity to help and sustain our emergency response. We will keep you posted of the recent events on the ground. Every natural disaster teaches us spiritual lessons and makes us realize the value of life we live. Every event happens so that we may learn something. It seems from minute to minute there is some new disaster making the headlines. We're just recovering from one world-altering, paradigm-shifting event and another follows. I am convinced that one of the greatest tragedies of our society today is the fact that somehow, we have equated the ability to be sympathetic, the ability to be compassionate, the ability to relate to the needs of our fellow human beings as weakness--when, in fact, it is a sign of strength. The more we are able to communicate to others and ourselves the spiritual consequences of trauma, the more likely we will be to heal and transform these experiences. It is because; pastoral care is leading, guiding, nurturing, sustaining, healing and restoring the people and the world as a whole.
UPDATES ON EMERGENCY OPERATIONS
For nearly two weeks, CTF India and lay volunteers have been working in Kerala to address the flood emergency. Relief efforts in the communities are helping people clean up mud in damaged homes, recover belongings, and provide assistance and support for those in relief camps waiting to return to their homes.
Although the process is still long, due to the severe damage to homes, infrastructure, and landscape devastated by landslides, the CTF team was able to reach different site visits to help with cleanings.
October 21, 2021
Kokkayar, hit by the largest landslide in Kerala, is a village in the valley of Poovangimala that lies on the eastern side of Kottayam district. Seven houses were completely destroyed, causing the death of 12 people, including 4 children. The survivors have been hosted in the relief camps. After the assessment in Kokkayar, the team cleaned two houses, bringing moral and spiritual support for people, each one with a personal story about the disaster. A block under the nearby bridge created the flooding due to the trees uprooted by the landslide and waste material. In order to remove the blockage, CTF has appealed to the higher authorities and the parish priest, who responded positively to the request.
October 22, 2021
Elankkadu is a village located on a riverbank on the border between Kottayam and Idukki districts. This place sits atop the western ghats, severely affected by landslide and flooding. On the way to Elankkadu, the team realized the severity of what happened. Due to the multiple landslides, the road was partially destroyed, which caused many volunteers to abandon their plans to visit the place. Despite the difficulties on the road, the team and volunteers reached the site and, with the help of the Parish priest, a partially destroyed house full of mud was identified. It took all day to remove the mud and bring it back to normal condition. The situation of the people in the area is dramatic. Most of the houses in the area were destroyed and the river swallowed the properties. One of the locals owned 12 acres of land, now entirely underwater. Most of the people in the area have been taken into relief camps and during the day they are accessing homes to retrieve as many possessions as possible, most of the time finding nothing. 25 homes per neighborhood have been affected. Koottikkal and Kokkayar Panchayats are the most affected areas; in both panchayats there are 27 wards, so approximately 675 houses are partially or destroyed. About 2500 people are staying in the relief camps. The people who have been affected by this disaster are poor farmers depending on rubber plantations for their livelihood. The landslide and flood took away everything they owned.
October 23, 2021
Cleaning works were done in Koottikkal panchayat ward no.12, a colony where poor people live nearby. The place, called Lakshamveedu Colony, is located on the riverbank where almost all the houses were affected by the flood. The most considerable destruction happened in five houses placed within 100 meters of the river. The people in the colony are all day laborers involved in thrashing, construction work, etc., and most of the houses were built according to government schemes as all the families belong to Schedule Caste. Now they have lost their homes and the little land they owned. The Camillian Task Force has been actively working to finish cleaning the affected houses, which were full of mud and river waste. Although cleaned, they are not in good condition to live in. People are safe in the relief camps with food and all facilities, but once the news of this topic leaves our minds, who will help them will remain an uncertain question. Spontaneous help and voluntary contributions are essential to carry out the emergency intervention and help the local population. CTF India, Camillians and all the volunteers committed in the operations are willing to bring help and support to those in need so that no one is left alone.
Fr. Baby Ellickal MI
National Director, CTF-India
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