Two days after Cyclone Michaung unleashed its fury on the city, Rajasekaran Natrajan found himself wading through Madipakkam’s waterlogged streets as their house was yet to have its water and power supply restored.
“My son who is on the autism spectrum could not step into the water, and I was being dissuaded by rescuers not to take my pet dog along. It was then that a large jeep passed, and the driver asked if I needed assistance,” he said. Shravan Krishnan, an animal rights activist, who was at the wheel, was happy to help. Rajasekaran says he could not believe his luck..
Armed with kayaks and a boat, animal rescuers in the city came together in the aftermath for rescues — both of people and their furry companions. Shravan Krishnan, who helps run the Besant Memorial Animal Dispensary, coordinated efforts with ROA shelter by Dinesh Baba in Madipakkam, Velachery, Thoraipakkam and Pallikaranai, efforts towards which have been in place for the last few years.
“Once every month, we’ve been heading to Muttukadu to practice Kayaking. We also invested in a good boat and a pump to be used in case the need arises,” says Shravan.
Chennai is no stranger to this streak of resilience in times of crisis — thousands of volunteers stepped up in the aftermath of the 2015 floods and played an important role in helping the city back on its feet. In keeping with this spirit, volunteers across Chennai have been working round the clock this year as well, alongside government and civic bodies, to help navigate life after the destruction on December 4.
Stepping up
Take for instance Perambur’s Pauline David who runs Solomon Trust. Despite her own locality being waterlogged, she swung into action. She borrowed large vessels from her sister who runs a small food stall began preparing hot meals for people who were displaced from their homes. “While people do need help in the coming months, whoever is hungry today also needs to be fed,” she says, matter-of-factly.
Also read | Cyclone Michaung revives memories of December 2015 deluge
Pauline is still busy coordinating with volunteers and locals from different areas about their food requirements. “We have to send out between 70 and 80 meals today. We also carry packets of bread and milk in case there are more residents who need food,” she says.
But to reach volunteers like Pauline who are working on the ground, teams of good Samaritans have been working both online, and offline, to identify pockets that need support. There is a organised system with neat excel sheets documenting requirements. There are sheets that help in people coordinate with the civic body and the government to offer assistance. One can be engaged by local volunteering groups or even help by using apps such as Porter delivery to hire large vehicles and navigate areas ravaged by the rains.
Someone on the internet reached out to Ashwath Ram, a Vadapalani resident a day after the cyclone asking if he could check on their grandparents since there was no power or network connectivity to reach them. “There were also requests to help out pregnant women who were stranded in different parts of the city. This is when we began helping them connect with authorities to facilitate their move out of areas that were inundated,” he says.
Ashwath is part of Volunteers for India put together by Gautham Ravindran. Local volunteer organisations like Vyasai Thozhargal in Vyasarpadi, he says, are doing a phenomenal job in finding out the needs and requirements of the residents, and reaching out to those who are ready to pitch in.
A structured approach towards helping with rescue and relief has helped immensely. Social media personality @Srinimaama16, who has over 81k followers on X (formerly Twitter), initially began amplifying requests on his platform, and then saw messages pour in from people who were willing to pitch in.
“We set up two teams —– one to specifically look at requests coming in from localities and residents who needed relief , and another group coordinating with people willing to contribute resources.We’ve been working with and organising volunteers from Perungudi, Korukkupet, Basin Bridge and several other areas who are on the field. They are truly the real life heroes here,” he says.
Shravan says that amidst all the worry, volunteering during these floods have also experienced dramatic, almost film-like moments. “We rescued a woman who was nine months pregnant.She said she would never forget us and even joked that she would name her first born after me,” Shravan laughs.
As the city slowly makes its way back towards normalcy, volunteers continue to have their work cut out for them. The calls for rescues might have died down, but it is now time to pitch in and help people back on their feet, one field visit, one discussion, one excel sheet documenting their needs.
