People of drought-stricken Southern States of India were praying for good monsoon rains. Unfortunately, they received continuous downpour that took away the lives of hundreds of people. The States of Kerala, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Andhrapradesh, and Nilgiris in Tamil Nadu were worst affected.

“The depression over the Bay of Bengal which later moved inland to central India pulled powerful South westerly winds from the Arabian Sea. As these strong winds reached the Nilgiri Mountains, they were lifted along with all the moisture. The dark clouds formed as a result brought heavy localised downpour,” said the Chennai RMC official. This may not be comprehensible to the flood-affected people of Nilgiris district in Tamil Nadu. What they experienced was torrential rains from  5^th   to 10^th of  August.

Avalanche located 20 KM from Ooty recorded the highest rainfall in south India, receiving 911 mm of rain during a 24-hour period.  All other important towns in the district have recorded a minimum of 102 mm up to 820 mm of rainfall. Out of the 6 taluks in the district, 4 taluks namely Gudalur, Pandalur, Ooty, and Kundha have been severely affected by the incessant rains. Mostly the tribal people particularly from Irulas and Paniya tribes in Gudalur and Pandalur taluks and plantation workers mostly the Tamil Repatriates from Sri Lanka from the 4 taluks are largely affected by the floods.

Mundakunnu Hatti is a  Paniya tribal village in Gudalur block located inside the forest.  There is no proper road access. One must walk 3 kms from the main road to reach this village inhabited by 15 families. Due to heavy rains, the tribal people were unable to move out of their huts and could not purchase anything for the family or go out for work.  The families shared rice and other food grains available with them but that was not sufficient The village was inundated by two rivers flowing on either side of the village.

The water level increased in the agricultural field and forest land stopping the movement of the tribal people.  Even after the water receded, reaching the village continues to pose a problem due to slush. Future poses a severe challenge to these people.

Preliminary Needs Assessment report collected from field staff of Udhagamandalam Social Service Society (USSS) shows that  62 hamlets in Ooty taluk, 89 hamlets in Kundha, 92 including 20 tribal hamlets in Gudalur, and 120 hamlets in Pandalur are severely affected. USSS with the support of Caritas India will reach out to the most needy by supplying with Non Food Items like blankets, warm clothes, and hygiene materials. To begin with, 600 households will be covered.

The USSS team is very active in responding to the needs of the flood-affected people both in Ooty and Gudalur. It has co-ordinated with local Parishes and Makkal Mandram in mobilising resources like food materials, blankets, and clothes. In many places, cooked food was organised. The Project Manager Ms.Suprabha and field Co-ordinator Mr.Dennis are overseeing the relief activities and are updating USSS with needs assessment data for focused interventions.

Ms.Vijayasundari, field co-ordinator in Gudalur says that she has witnessed many firsts during the floods. She continues ‘ I am witnessing the Ayyankolli river flowing with mud instead of water, we are rescuing people from gushing slush, roads caving in, roads are blocked, people are confined to their houses, water springing from floors in the houses, new waterfalls created in the places of  houses.” Such was the devastations brought by incessant rains.

USSS Director Fr.Solomon  arranged for fields visit to affected areas and meeting with District Collector on 14/08/2019. The assessment team of Caritas- TASOSS-USSS visited the most affected hamlets in Ooty, Avalanche, Kuntha, Pykara, Gudalur, and Pandalur and got the first-hand information. Caritas India led by Dr.John Arokiaraj, Thematic Manager met the District Collector Ms.Innocent Divya IAS along with TASOSS- USSS team co-ordinated by Fr.Arockiasamy. The effective administration of Collectorate could be witnessed through the rectification of public infrastructure and reduced number of loss of human life. There is a proposal from the DC soliciting knowledge sharing on good models and practices about disaster response mainly on temporary shelter conducive to cold climate. Much needs to be done to bring normalcy into the lives of the flood-devastated people through Government- Public- Private- NGO co-ordination.