Orissa Super Cyclone
The super cyclone in Orissa in October 29, 1999, perhaps the most destructive natural calamity in India in this century with a wind speed of nearly 300kms and incessant rains that lasted for about 48 hours with a total downpour between 447 mm and 995 mm and tidal waves from the sea reaching to 10 meters struck the Orissa coast coming almost 15kms inland, washed away everything which came under its flow. There was massive damage to houses, vegetation, livelihood and the environment. Over 15 million people in the 12 districts were affected. Almost 20 000 persons were killed. The total estimated damages were 39680 million INR (Source: Government of Orissa).

The Most Devastated Area
Looking at the severity of the impact, the state Government had categorised all the affected blocks. Erasama of Jagatsinghpur district falls under A category (most affected), while Balikuda, also of Jagatsinghpur along with Astaranga Block of Puri district fell under the B category. In terms of impact on life and property both Erasama and Balikuda have suffered the most. The other district which was also badly affected was Kendrapada.

The Devastation of Super Cyclone
On the 6 th of December, the revenue department of the state Government issued a ‘white paper' on the loss and damage to life and property due to the super cyclone. According to the white paper, there were 9885 deaths, with 8386 people died in Jagatsinghpur district alone of which 8119 deaths was reported in Erasama Block. There were 262 deaths in Balikuda Block. Figures for loss of livestock were kept at 315886 cattle, 316372 other animals such as goat, sheep, pig etc. and 18833467 fowl. About 1650086 houses have been damaged because of cyclone as well as the ensuing flood. Almost 14901 primary school, 3425 high school buildings and 66 colleges were damaged. 12000 km roads, 1447 bridges were damaged. Electricity supply to most villages was disrupted. Considering the loss of standing crop, 1300000 hectare of paddy, 176000 hectare of vegetable crops and 257000 hectare of other crops were lost. 2 million trees were uprooted. There was extensive saline incursion in agricultural fields. Crop loss was estimated at around 17.5 million.

Rehabilitation Effort of ActionAid India
In response to the plight due to the super cyclone, the Government and Non Government agencies came forward for the rescue, relief and rehabilitation of the affected in a concerted way. Like other agencies ActionAid India also resolved to contribute to this massive reconstruction effort. The rehabilitation attempts very early in the day made us realise the dangers of inadequate importance being given to the stress aspect. The focus consequently was strengthened on the prevention and management of the psychosocial consequences of disasters. Thus came into being the concept of Sneha Abhiyan.

Sneha Abhiyan -“a campaign of love” was a response to ensure rehabilitation of the most vulnerable among the survivors of the Orissa super cyclone - children, women and old people who are left without the care of families and people who were under severe psychological shock and depression. Aimed at long-term community based rehabilitation (CBR) of the most vulnerable survivors of the tragedy, this initiative has been implemented by ActionAid, in collaboration with local organisations, Open Learning System and Nature's Club through support from Govt. of India, Govt. of Orissa and DEC.

This was an attempt to implement disaster intervention with a holistic perspective for the most vulnerable, taking care of their economic as well as psychological and social needs in to account.

Addressing the psychological distress and depression resulting from the trauma of death and devastation around the survivors of the cyclone was one of the priorities of Sneha Abhiyan. The aim was to reach out to as many possible vulnerable victims in a cost effective manner for ensuring maximum coverage.

Main objectives of Sneha Abhiyaan:

• iProtection of the rights of the most vulnerable survivors of the Orissa super cyclone – children, women old people and differently able who are left without the care of families
• Ensuring the best possible rehabilitation for these people
• Strengthening caring responsibilities in the community and;
• Influencing the state policy with regard to these groups, particularly in the context of disaster.

Interventions of Sneha Abhiyaan:

• Identification of widows, orphans and old people without families
• Setting up temporary shelters for the identified. 44 such shelters were set up of which 35 were in Erasama block with direct ActionAid intervention.
• Placement of Sneha Karmees (community care volunteers) in each of these shelters. In Erasama as part of the intervention, experts had given these local volunteers training on psychosocial counselling and play therapy. These volunteers were staying with the victims for 24 hours.
• Provision of food and health care. A doctor and a pharmacist were providing regular check ups and medicines. Acute cases were referred to the hospitals. All Sneha Karmees in Erasama were also trained in primary health care.
• Playful and recreational activities for children including songs, dance and sports
• In-house tuition and provision of text books so that children continue their education
• Formation of women's self help groups for engaging them in problem sorting, planning and management of the interim shelters for breaking their inertia and inaction.
• Engaging women in food for work
• Women keen to spend their time with children were encouraged to do so to meet the children's craving for love and attention
• Psychological support/ counselling by the Snehakarmees. Two psychiatrists were engaged for periodic visits and expert advice and check up of the persons being attended by the Sneha Karmees. The extremely traumatised persons, who needed medical treatment, were referred to the hospital for further treatment. In this process the Sneha Abhiyan team handled patients with psychiatric disorder.
• Legal advice and aid for widows and children to ensure just compensation from the Govt., widow pension and old age pension
• Family tracing to locate relatives of children without adult protection.
• Provision of mud houses to the residents of interim shelters in Erasama
• Provision of clothes and dry ration for six months to the residents after they moved to their individual houses
• Support for livelihood options chosen by the individual families and provision of insurance and bank linkages

Besides Sneha Abhiyaan in 35 villages in Erasama, ActionAid has been also involved in reconstruction and rehabilitation effort in both Erasama and Balikuda block of Jagatsinghpur district through Food for work and livelihood support.

ActionAid India (AAI) in partnership with BGVS (Bharat Gyan Bigyan Samiti) intervened in the worst affected blocks of Jagatsinghpur district; that is Erasama and Balikuda. The intervention concentrated more on rehabilitation and reconstruction for the most vulnerable survivors.

AAI in partnership with BGVS had a pro-poor focus and thus worked with Dalits, Scheduled Tribes, Children and Women at risk, Uncared Elderly, People With Disability (PWD), Bengali Migrants, and Marine Fisher folk who were the most vulnerable groups of Erasama and Balikuda blocks under Jagatsinghpur district of Orissa.

Areas of Interventions

• Household Food Security & Livelihood Reconstruction
• Infrastructure Development & Habitat
• Access and Control over Basic Health Services
• Right To Information & Effective Governance
• Legal Aid
• Integrated Rehabilitation for Widows, Orphans, Destitute and other uncared
• CBR of Uncared Aged and PWD (Persons With Disability)

Other thrust Areas: Community Mobilisation and Capacity Building

• Consolidation of Village / Hamlet level Committees.
• Formation of Federated Structures at the Gram Panchayat level and above.
• Formation of Self-Help Groups, especially of women.

Apart from mobilising the community ActionAid also provided support to the people through Food for Work programme. Our most important principle was that everybody who was vulnerable had to be covered and for the first time persons with disabilities who even if they could not participate, received the benefits of FFW.