Organised chaos may best describe the situation at SMV Government Model Higher Secondary School at Overbridge on Friday.
Following an appeal by District Collector K. Vasuki, Thiruvananthapuram put its best foot forward to respond to a call to collect relief material for despatch to flood-affected areas in Pathanamthitta, Alappuzha, and Ernakulam districts.
Hundreds of youngsters were at hand at the collection centre opened by the district administration at the school.
The steady stream of vehicles reaching the campus had to be regulated. Scores of willing hands unloaded the material.
At the school auditorium, groups of volunteers were at work sorting and packing the relief material. Bottled water, rice, sugar, brush and paste, chapattis, biscuits, disinfectants, diapers and sanitary napkins, new clothes, medicines, mosquito coils, candles, torches, mats... the public seemed to have thought of nearly everything that those affected by surging waters would need to tide over the next few days.
Karthika Mohan who led the information campaign online said it was amazing to see the people open their hearts and purses to send the “avalanche” of help.
Gouri Chandran, a volunteer, said separate counters had been set up to collect different things. “Volunteers are also going and picking up relief material in case people are not able to transport it here.”
Thirty personnel of the Sector Headquarters of the Border Security Force were also involved in the packing and despatch.
However, one auditorium was not enough, and classrooms were opened up for storing the material.
What troubled officials and volunteers a bit was the presence of cooked food, food that was unlikely to last long such as bread, and old clothes among the material collected.
Ansar R.L., NSS coordinator who was managing the sorting operations, said the quantity of material received at the school was manifold than that had reached Priyadarshini Hall on Thursday.
Around 4 p.m., it was decided to direct any fresh relief material to Government Higher Secondary School for Girls, Cotton Hill, where a collection centre was opened.
Sub-Collector K. Inbasekar said the district administration was facilitating what had become a community initiative. Ten trucks had been sent to Pathanamthitta, and two were headed to Alappuzha by road. “We were lucky to be spared of nature’s fury, and have to give our best to the community. Relief material is being routed to the people as per demand.” Food for some 3,000 people was also packed for being airdropped in the flood-hit areas.
CPI(M) State secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan and Minister E.P. Jayarajan also visited the school.
More centres
Two more collection centres — at St. Anne’s Church Hall and St. Rochs School auditorium near the airport — have also been opened. The Collector has requested volunteers to reach these two centres.
All the relief collection centres will function on Saturday. Material for relief camps in the district should be dropped off at the taluk offices or the Collectorate.
