When the tsunami struck Amritapuri and the neighbouring coastal villages on 26 December 2004, Amma’s
Ashram became the centre of relief operations. More than 140 people were killed in the immediate area and
countless houses were destroyed. It was Amma herself who waded through the water, directing the evacuation
of the 17,000 people visiting the Ashram at the time. She sent her disciples out into the flooded village
to rescue people and search for the injured and dying.
Amma deployed ambulances, doctors and medical supplies from her AIMS Hospital to the devastated
areas on both India’s east and west coasts and immediately began supplying food, clothing and shelter to
tens of thousands. The morning after, she visited relief camps set up at Amrita University, consoling the
families and sharing their immense grief. A few days later, the Ashram assisted the grief-stricken community
with the mass cremation of its loved ones and brought together thousands to pray for the deceased and
the bereaved.
AMMA’S PLEDGE
Amma’s Ashram pledged 100 crores, $23 million U.S.D., in tsunami relief aid. It proposed
to rebuild all the homes that were completely destroyed by the tsunami in Kerala, as well
as take up reconstruction in Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Pondicherry, and the Andaman &
Nicobar Islands. The Ashram distributed 15 million rupees, $350,467 U.S.D., to families in
the Kerala districts of Kollam, Ernakulam and Alappuzha for buying cooking vessels, and
provided them with counselling, education and homes for orphaned children.
After meeting with the President of Sri Lanka, Amma, on behalf of Healthcare Charities,
Inc., U.S.A. (an initiative of Amma’s devotees), offered 30 million Indian rupees, $685,000
U.S.D., for relief work, including the construction of hundreds of homes and, if the govern-ment
permits, a free pension plan and the adoption of orphaned children, where relatives
request it. |
Within hours of the disaster in the vicinity of Amritapuri, Amma transformed the Ashram’s local colleges into
relief camps. She arranged the collection and distribution of all necessary supplies, considering every last
detail. So intense was her concern for the needs of the villagers that for 24 hours she took neither food nor
rest, not even a drop of water.
The Ashram fed not only 2,000 village evacuees and 3,000 ashram residents in its own camps, but also 5,000
people in the 10 government shelters nearby. The Ashram provided everything it could from its storerooms.
Evacuees were given blankets, sleeping mats, soap, clothes and medical care.
Within a few weeks, the Ashram distributed cash payments to thousands of families for replacing household
cooking vessels. Volunteers spent time with the villagers, consoling them, listening to them and offering
their support. They also helped the families to clear away the sludge and rubble from the houses left
standing. For months afterwards, the Ashram kitchen served 10,000 meals three times a day to the relief
camps and to 18 food counters in the devastated villages near Amritapuri. This massive operation was
supported by volunteers and a fleet of lorries that went out three times a day providing both food and hope.
Within a week of the tragedy, construction of temporary shelters for the homeless began on Ashram land.
Nine shelters, complete with electricity, ceiling fans and separate bathrooms, were built within a few weeks,
housing 250 families. Temporary shelters for 100 families were also built in Samanthampettai, Nagapattinam.
The Ashram connected its temporary shelters with the AIMS Hospital and the Amritapuri Ashram
hospital via a telemedicine satellite link.
Download PDF of Amma's Humanitarian & Relief Work >>
|
