Health effects of those affected by India's super-cyclone

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Written by Andy Shipley of Plan UK Health fears for the one million who fled India's super-cyclone FAMILIES will need help to rebuild their lives...

Written by Andy Shipley of Plan UK

 

Health fears for the one million who fled India's super-cyclone

FAMILIES will need help to rebuild their lives after fleeing the devastation of Cyclone Phailin, reports children's charity Plan International.

Up to one million villagers were evacuated as the the storm tore across the Southern Indian coast on Saturday, leaving nine confirmed dead.

Plan's disaster head of disaster response, Dr Unni Krishnan, said the same rapid response needs to be applied to relief efforts in the aftermath.

"There are a lot of displaced people and they are very unlikely to return home over the next few days or week," said Dr Krishnan, from Delhi.

"Close to one million people are living in temporary safe centers - health and sanitation requirements must be a priority."

Dr Krishnan praised the work of government agencies in evacuating thousands of families, a move he credited for saving lives.

"This attention to detail should remain when shifting to the relief phase because post-disaster scenarios can be a breading ground for disease outbreaks," said Dr Krishnan.

"Children must be the priority. For a lot of them, this will have been the first time they've seen a cyclone and it will have had a massive impact on them."

The storm was the strongest to hit India for more than a decade - destroying homes, flooding towns and causing widespread damage.

"There are key challenges ahead, including hygiene, water and sanitation for displaced families," said Dr Krishnan.

"People have lost their crops and means of employment, so livelihoods are a priority also."

Plan UK

1) Plan is a global children’s charity. We work with children in the world’s poorest countries to help them build a better future. A future you would want for all children, your family and friends. For more than 75 years we’ve been taking action and standing up for every child’s right to fulfill their potential by:

·         giving children a healthy start in life, including access to safe drinking water

·         securing the education of girls and boys

·         working with communities to prepare for and survive disasters

·         inspiring children to take a lead in decisions that affect their lives

·         enabling families to earn a living and plan for their children’s future.

We do what’s needed, where it’s needed most. We do what you would do. With your support children, families and entire communities have the power to move themselves from a life of poverty to a future with opportunity.

www.plan.org.uk

2) Plan UK is a member of The Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC), an umbrella organisation for 14 leading humanitarian aid agencies.

3) We work with children in 50 of the world’s poorest countries to help them build a better future.

4) Plan was founded by British journalist John Langdon-Davies in 1937 to rescue orphans and other vulnerable children from the Spanish Civil War.

6) We have 95,000 sponsors in the UK, generating £24 million a year, and 1 million sponsored children worldwide

7) Sponsorship starts at £15-a-month and, rather than going to individual children and their families, funds projects to improve schooling, health, nutrition and livelihoods across communities.

8) Plan's activities are guided by the principals of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child and other internationally-recognized human rights treaties, and is informed by the local context and knowledge of the country and region.

 

 

About the Author

 

For more information on Plan’s work or to make a donation call 0800 526 848 or visit www.plan-uk.org

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