WOMEN'S COLLECTIVE & TAMILNADU RESOURCE TEAM APPEALS THAT THE
NATION RISE AS ONE TO THE RESCUE AND REHABILITATION EFFORT


......In Chennai all the fishing hamlets are affected. The severly affected places includes Srinivasapuram in Pattinapakkam where more than 30 dead bodies are identified. Nearly 15 identified bodies are that of small children who were actually playing in the beach have been kille dby the killer wave. Nearly 1000 huts are sweft away by the wave. Sea water has entered the housing board flats in the same area. Several other fishing settlement along Marina are also affected very badly. Thedeer Kuppam with 300 huts, Nadu Kuppam with 350 huts, Nochi Kuppam with 300 huts will also fall under the severly affected area. Ayodhya Kuppam, Nanttan Kuppam are the other fishing settlements which are affected in Chennai. So far 170 bodies are recovered from the sea and of which 131 are identified. Several hundreds of people from these settlements are still missing.

The damages include loss of life, house, household articles, fishing gear, boats and Kattamarams. The immediate need is that of food and clothes and some bedsheets and mats. Women's Collective started its relief Kitchen yesterday and so far nearly 5000 hot food packets and water packets are distributed. There are several NGOs who are involved in food distribution and several of them are running medical Camps. Apollo Hospital and Government hospital Ambulances are pressed to service for disposing the dead bodies. Women's Collective volunteers are going round the city collecting old clothes and we have distributing it in the affected area. we are careful in avoiding the duplication of services. People are mostly in Churches and common buildings along the Santhome high road , on either side of the road in the platform and a few hundreds are there near the damaged houses trying to recover the few things that is left behind. We intend to continue the relief
distribution for at least a week or so till they return to normalcy. We are working
with the local fishing community leaders, SHG leaders and the Panchayath Leaders. We have our SHGs at Nochi kuppam, Thedeer Kuppam area and all of them have lost their belongings.

In Kanyakumari district several fishing villages are affected. Periya Vallai 150 huts, Kottalampadi 100 huts, Kolechal several hundread huts, Keel Muttam 500 huts, Manavalakurichi 400 huts, Kanyakumari 1000 huts, Pallam 200 huts, Allikal 500 huts, Pillai Thoppu 200 huts, Kayal pattinam, Puthan thurai, Manakudi, Kadiyapattinam, Mandaikadu, Thengai Pattinam, Chinna Muttom, Paniyur, Simon Colony, Kodimunai, Puthur, Muttom, several hundreds of huts are washed away. Nearly 500 people are said to have died and so far 110 bodies are identified. There was a mass cremination of 230 bodies this morning. Most of the people have left the villages and have moved to Nagerkoil, Mullavumoodu, Takkalai, Kottar, Myiladi to churches and common buildings, Schools. In Kollacheal several bodies are said to be washed ashore from this morning and there is no place in the hospital there. When our team was there for half an hour five bodies were washed ashore. Nearly 2000 people are missing from Kollechal.

In Kanyakumari almost all the churches and rotary clubs, Schools and colleges are onvolved in the relief work. Women's Collective staff are in all the releif camps as voluteers helping them. As immediate releif has already reached them we have not done any distribution. This is the district which requires long term help like fishing gears , boats, reconstruction of huts and household articles later.

We would be thankful if you can do the needful to raise whatever support that you can give either in cash or in kind. We would be happy to have
secondhand bed sheets for distribution.

We can be contacted at 10, East Street, Kollattur, Chennai - 600 099. Phone: 044 2550 5853 / 2550 1257. email: sheelu1@vsnl.com; womencollective@rediffmail.com; Mobile: 9444015851 and 9444293690 .


Women's Collective A/C 10694 , Corporation Bank, Kellys Branch, Chennai. or to
Tamilnadu Resource Team A/C 7270 , Corporation Bank, Kellys Branch, Chennai.

Bank Swift Code:

AMERICAN EXPRESS BANK, NEW YORK AEIBUS33 ACCOUNT NUMBER ; 163121 Corpinbb122, routing 124071889

You can send the cash either directly to the bank account or by cheque to the following account.

The Clothes and other medicines could be sent to the below address.
10, East Street, Kollattur, Chennai - 600 099, Tamilnadu, South India.

In case you are able to raise funds the donations can be send to
Women's Collective or to Tamilnadu resource team both has 80G.

Do not hesitate to contact us if you need more information.

Regards,

Sheelu.