1.   Flood Relief:

Brazil: Torrential rains caused havoc in the Santa Catarina State in Brazil in November 2008.  As a result, tens of thousands of people became homeless and more than 1.5 million people were affected in several cities and their suburbs in the State.  Our Sao Paulo centre in Brazil, through two of its sub-centres in Curitiba and Rio, immediately started relief services to the flood victims.  The details of the relief work done are given below.

 

(a) Curitiba sub-centre provided 200 family kits (containing essential items such as pants, shirts, T‑shirts, coats, sweaters, towels, bed-sheets, socks, shoes, toothpaste, toothbrushes and soap), 250 litres of milk, various food items (such as bread, biscuits, sweets and pasta), drinking water, 10 kg soap powder and 50 litres of disinfectants.

(b) Rio de Janeiro sub-centre provided 3 cars full of various essential items such as water bottles, clothes and food items.

India: (I) Tamil Nadu: The recent cyclone Nisha caused heavy rainfall in Tamil Nadu followed by breach of river embankments and severe flood in the State – the worst in the last 25 years.  Many houses and roads were washed away, and agriculture was badly affected.  Our Chennai Math immediately started relief operations among the flood victims.  It distributed 10,000 kg rice, 1000 blankets, 1000 mats, 1000 saris, 1000 dhotis, 3000 children’s garments, 1000 bags and 1000 towels to 1000 flood-affected families belonging to 12 villages of Thanjavur and Tiruvarur districts this month.
 

 

(II) Other States: Some centres of Ramakrishna Mission conducted post-flood-relief work in three states as stated below:

(a) Bihar: Patna centre distributed 275 kg chhatu, 23 kg biscuits, 239 kg milk powder, 15,000 saris, 5000 dhotis, 8000 lungis, 204 shirts, 15,000 assorted garments, 39,400 blankets, 29,470 mats, 9540 buckets, 37,950 steel plates, 20,000 steel tumblers, 17,950 steel mugs, 10,000 steel bowls, 17,950 steel spoons, 3590 steel ladles, 7180 aluminium pots and 3590 knives to 21,772 flood-affected families belonging to 131 villages of Madhepura and Saharsa districts this month.
 

 

(b) Orissa:
(i) Bhubaneswar centre distributed 2425 school bags, 4850 notebooks, 4850 pens and other study materials to 2425 flood-affected students of 10 schools in Cuttack and Puri districts in November and December. 
(ii) Puri Mission centre distributed 2000 blankets to as many flood-affected families belonging to 56 villages of Gop, Delanga and Kanas blocks in Puri district in November and December.

(c) West Bengal: Belgharia centre distributed 4089 saris, 4073 dhotis and 5116 blankets to 5116 families belonging to 125 villages of Dantan - II, Narayangarh, Sabang and Patashpur blocks in Paschim Medinipur and Purba Medinipur districts this month.
 

 

2.  Winter Relief: 3186 blankets were distributed through the following centres to the poor and needy people: Belgaum – 200, Chandigarh – 326, Jalpaiguri – 200, Karimganj – 500, Manasadwip – 100, Puri Mission – 1260, Sargachhi – 600. Besides, Vrindaban centre distributed 1000 shawls to widows.
 

 

3. Distress Relief: The following centres distributed various items, shown in brackets, to poor and needy people in their respective areas: Belgaum (375 kg rice, 375 kg flour, 75 kg pulses, 75 kg edible oil and 200 saris), Jalpaiguri (450 saris and 213 children’s garments), Sargachhi (160 saris), Vrindaban (1000 dhotis, 2000 soap bars and 100 litre oil).

 

4. Assam Disturbance Relief:  Itanagar centre, Arunachal Pradesh, distributed 2180 blankets to 1410 families affected by the recent disturbances at 29 villages of Darrang and Udalguri districts in Assam.