Diocese fights Cyclone ‘Aila’
Aila – the cyclone formed on Andaman Sea and Bay of Bengal on the 24 May 2009 shaped into a
severe cyclone with a whirling stormy speed of 120-150 kms/hr and hit the coastal area of West
Bengal on 25 May. Thousands and thousands of houses were destroyed and millions of people
became homeless, lost their crops, livestock, household articles. Hundreds of villages are still
marooned, thousands and thousands of acres of agriculture land were under sea saline water, crops
were destroyed, live stock drifted away. Total power and communication – surface, telephone and
electronic, has been broken down. Around 1500 large trees were uprooted and more than 2500
smaller ones badly damaged while the cyclone went past the area.
The death toll stands at 115. Nearly 5 million people are affected and half a million dwellings have
been destroyed or seriously damaged. Breaches have occurred in 500 kms of embankments.
As a humanitarian response, the Bishop of the Diocese of Durgapur Rt Rev Dr P K Dutta called an
emergency meeting of the Disaster Mitigation Committee and sent Mr K N Das, diocesan social
service coordinator, to visit the casualty area particularly to East Midnapur, that comes under its
geographical province, to take a devastating situational assessment and how the Diocese can stand
and support the victims of this natural calamity.
The Bishop of the Diocese of Durgapur sent appeals to the church partners, seeking aid and prayers.
The Methodist Church of the United Kingdom, Episcopal Relief and Development of USA, the Church
of North India Synod and CASA responded to the appeal of the Bishop of Durgapur. The Diocese
Disaster Operational Team distributed one thousand sets of shari, dhoti, blankets and kitchen
utensils as an immediate relief. These aids were distributed in Talgathari and Khejuir 1 panchayat.
Now the work is in progress and the plans for digging tub wells for drinking water and some low cost
houses are to be made. The digging of tube wells has started. The casualties are great and we still
need your prayers and support for this rehabilitation work.