Last year, on December 1, Chennai received 374 mm of rain. This came after one of the heaviest months of rain ever: November 2015 recorded 1,218 mm, close to the city’s annual average of 1,400 mm. A deluge followed. Tens of thousands were stranded for days. But something even more extraordinary unfolded next. Ordinary citizens rose to the forefront of the rescue and relief operations that followed. P.M. Naveen looks back through the eyes of some of the volunteers at the lessons learnt from the experience.
Nishanth Ravi | Wildlife Conservationist (Tamil Nadu Forest Department) & Founder, Save Earth for Next Generation (SENG)
What started as a search and rescue operation for a pet Labrador, Kushi, turned into a full-blown rescue effort for Nishanth and his three like-minded friends in the suburb of Mudichur on December 2. Nishanth supervised and led this massive 15-hour exercise, armed with 10 makeshift rafts put together with doors and water cans, and just over two dozen good samaritans. Mudichur’s proximity to the Chembarambakkam lake had taken its toll on the residents. They were all trapped in their homes, first floors to be precise, with nowhere to go. On seeing Nishanth and his gang’s ingenuity (and foolhardiness!) in rescuing Kushi, they implored him to help them. In addition, as a professional snake handler, he was involved in more than 650 snake rescue operations across the city, with 200 of these happening in the Chennai International Airport alone.
"The real heroes of the Chennai floods are the local fisherfolk. It’s about time the public changes its attitude toward this community because without them, rescue efforts wouldn’t have panned out. Rain or shine, they are ready to lend a hand."
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Sathyarupa Shekhar | Director, Government Outreach and Advisory, Citizen Consumer and Civic Action Group (CAG)
Sathyarupa initially joined on the volunteer bandwagon through relief and rehabilitation efforts. CAG had partnered with an online grocery delivery service and designed relief kits and then, procured about 1,000 of them, which contained rations and essentials like mats and blankets. She delivered these to slum tenements and fishing hamlets on the city’s northern fringes. After the floods, she and her colleagues documented, mapped and analysed the links between urban development and humanitarian responses through a comprehensive survey conducted in low-income communities to advocate for better policies for ensuring urban development.
"The floods reinforced and revealed existing deprivations and inequities. The biggest implication of the survey was that people experienced losses that could not be remotely compared to the compensation the government gave."
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R. L. Srinivasan | Fisherman & Chair, Tamil Nadu Fisheries Co-operative Society (Ennore chapter)
For someone belonging to a community that was beleaguered by the tsunami in 2004, last year’s deluge didn’t dishearten Srinivasan. It gave him a sense of purpose. He and his comrades rose to the occasion. He was one of the several hundred fishermen who gave their all during the rescue efforts. He toiled away for four days, rescuing more than 1,000 residents stranded in their apartments in Ernavoor in north Chennai following the deluge and hardly got to visit his family during the time.
"These floods have taught me that we shouldn’t construct houses in low-lying areas, that there’s no bigger wealth than nature, and that we can overcome a disaster only when all of us work together as a team."
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Bharathi Kannan | Environmental activist, Tambaram Makkal Kuzhu
As if wading through 4 feet of water wasn’t a task in itself, Bharathi Kannan had a brush with a local political leader and at one point, literally had to run for his life. Nevertheless, he managed to inspire and mobilise a bunch of school students from relief camps to help out with relief efforts. He and his team focussed on PTC Quarters, Varadharajapuram, one of the worst-hit areas. Despite Bharathi’s heroics, one thing that stills irks him is that he couldn’t engage in rescue efforts on a scale as large as his relief efforts. He also feels pre-planning could have facilitated the work of his team better. He’s currently in the last leg of his 4-month bicycle expedition across the State, titled ‘Ride for Rights to Save Tamil Nadu.’ The journey aims at sensitising citizens on the importance of safeguarding natural resources. The National Bravery Award, presented to deserving children, has always made me aspire to do something for the community.
"The floods gave me the chance to prove to myself that I can be selfless and step up to the plate when needed."
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Dr. G. Balamurali | Neurosurgeon, Kauvery Hospital & Co-founder, DoctorNet India
Dr. Balamurali was on his way to a week-long conference in Kathmandu, Nepal, when the rains hit home. He cancelled his trip and started calling his friends to ask if he could be of any assistance. He attended a volunteer meet in the last week of November and subsequently, made a request for medical supplies. Then, he and his Coimbatore-based friend, Aravindan R, a techie, ideated and spearheaded various medical relief teams, comprising 46 doctors (including doctors from Mumbai, Kolkata and Gujarat), 14 nurses, and 25 volunteers, which tended to 8,000 individuals through free medical camps in 80 locations across Chennai (and its suburbs) and Cuddalore over the course of four weeks.
"The floods were an eye-opener about how ill-equipped we are on disaster management, medically speaking. Things like holding a medical camp and identifying illnesses have to be thought out in more detail."
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Selva Ganapathy | Chemical Engineer & Volunteer Coordinator, AID India
Selva Ganapathy’s tryst with natural calamities goes back to 2008, when he was involved in mobilising funds and manpower for the floods in Bihar. This time around, he used his experience in building low-cost homes and raised money to build and replace houses that were washed away in the floods. In the first two weeks, Selva and his team put together a modest house (with a living room and a kitchen) measuring 190 square feet, which cost ₹1.5-1.6 lakh. Fast forward to November 2016, they have built 120 of these homes in Tiruvallur, Kancheepuram and Cuddalore districts, and are planning to build a lot more of them in the future. I’d like to see NGOs working with the government during disasters because the latter has scale. Everyone blames the government for what it has not delivered. But the Corporation did a lot of work during the floods
