On October 13, 2013, Cyclone Phailin hit the southeastern coast of India, lashing the states of Odisha and Andhra and others with winds up to 220 kph and dumping more than of water. The cyclone It left a trail of destruction in its path, knocking down homes, destroying crops and wiping out the livelihoods of thousands of the country’s poorest people.
Odisha and Andhra Pradesh were the two most affected states, though others were severely damaged. Thankfully, the largest evacuation efforts in the country’s recent history, in which 800,000 people were moved inland, minimized loss of life.
CARE is reponding
“CARE has teams in Odisha and Andhra Pradesh who are assessing the needs of affected people,” said CEO and Country Director Dr. Muhammad Musa before the cyclone hit. “This cyclone is predicted to be India’s worst in the last 14 years, and we want to get help to people as fast as possible.”
As the storm approached, we pre-positioned relief items in the coastal areas, including water, water purification tablets, hygiene and survival kits, floor mats and solar lamps and have distributed those to individuals and families who lost everything in the storm.