Fire at Ramavaram
As I posted earlier today, there was a major fire today in the Ramavaram slum, rendering the entire population of Ramavaram homeless.
It has been a difficult day for the residents of Ramavaram and one that might change their lives forever. We began hearing reports early in the morning and Nivedita, one of our Chairpeople, was able to see the damage directly.
The damage that was sustained at Ramavaram was considerable. People believe that the damage was due to an electrical short-circuit that occurred at about 1:30 in the morning. The fire quickly spread, from one thatch house, to the next, demolishing the houses and the possessions of everyone. People were fortunate to escape with their lives. One resident suffered minor burns, and was in the hospital receiving treatment. Fortunately, there were no casualties.
There is simply no way to describe the awe and tragedy that these people suffered with words. The following photographs may do a better job of conveying what exactly happened here:
Its hard to imagine having nothing at all except the clothes on your back, but that was the reality faced by these people today. They had little to begin with, but now they simply have nothing.
The State Government quickly went into action to provide each house with each of the following, per househould: a veshti, a sari, Rs 2000 in cash, 5 kilograms of rice, and a coupon for some kerosene. They also have promised to give food to the residents for three days, including today. They gave a temporary shelter for the residents to stay in, but most of the residents are opting instead to sleep where there houses used to be, or along the sides of the road. The government has promised to permanently relocate the people of Ramavaram after a few days.
After getting to know of the situation, we tried to get in gear immediately to help these people. We asked them and they said the things they needed immediately were sheets to sleep on, clothes, food, plates and other silverware to eat with, and vessels for carrying water. Today we bought 110 bedsheets and packets of Marie Gold biscuits. We also have arranged to get people vessels to carry water in. We are going again to Ramavaram tomorrow to deliver these items as well as some other amenities such as soap
We had a meeting today at 7, after most of us were back, to discuss what happened and to develop a plan of action for the future. More details about this meeting will be coming up in a later post.
Thanks for everyone's support and aid in this matter. It has been a trying day for the people at Ramavaram and the next few days will be difficult as well. We stand together in solidarity with our friends and we are going to do what we can to help them in this immense time of need. We will be needing assistance with funds and volunteering and we hope people will be able to help. Please contact us if you are interested.
Click here to see the rest of the photos from the fire damage.
It has been a difficult day for the residents of Ramavaram and one that might change their lives forever. We began hearing reports early in the morning and Nivedita, one of our Chairpeople, was able to see the damage directly.
The damage that was sustained at Ramavaram was considerable. People believe that the damage was due to an electrical short-circuit that occurred at about 1:30 in the morning. The fire quickly spread, from one thatch house, to the next, demolishing the houses and the possessions of everyone. People were fortunate to escape with their lives. One resident suffered minor burns, and was in the hospital receiving treatment. Fortunately, there were no casualties.
There is simply no way to describe the awe and tragedy that these people suffered with words. The following photographs may do a better job of conveying what exactly happened here:
Its hard to imagine having nothing at all except the clothes on your back, but that was the reality faced by these people today. They had little to begin with, but now they simply have nothing.
The State Government quickly went into action to provide each house with each of the following, per househould: a veshti, a sari, Rs 2000 in cash, 5 kilograms of rice, and a coupon for some kerosene. They also have promised to give food to the residents for three days, including today. They gave a temporary shelter for the residents to stay in, but most of the residents are opting instead to sleep where there houses used to be, or along the sides of the road. The government has promised to permanently relocate the people of Ramavaram after a few days.
After getting to know of the situation, we tried to get in gear immediately to help these people. We asked them and they said the things they needed immediately were sheets to sleep on, clothes, food, plates and other silverware to eat with, and vessels for carrying water. Today we bought 110 bedsheets and packets of Marie Gold biscuits. We also have arranged to get people vessels to carry water in. We are going again to Ramavaram tomorrow to deliver these items as well as some other amenities such as soap
We had a meeting today at 7, after most of us were back, to discuss what happened and to develop a plan of action for the future. More details about this meeting will be coming up in a later post.
Thanks for everyone's support and aid in this matter. It has been a trying day for the people at Ramavaram and the next few days will be difficult as well. We stand together in solidarity with our friends and we are going to do what we can to help them in this immense time of need. We will be needing assistance with funds and volunteering and we hope people will be able to help. Please contact us if you are interested.
Click here to see the rest of the photos from the fire damage.
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