When the floods came, Rotary stepped in to help

By Rotary International

Flooding in Tamil Nadu, India, in 1995.

Flooding in Tamil Nadu, India, in 1995.

By Thamilarasu Ramaswamy, president-elect of the Rotary Club of Madras Vadapalani, Tamil Nadu, India

This is my Rotary story. In November of 1995, heavy rains created floods that uprooted trees and ravaged agricultural fields in the state of Tamil Nadu, India, paralyzing many communities. The district of Tiruvannamalai was the hardest hit. District administrators worked hard to help those affected by the floods, providing food and clothing.

In one subdistrict known as Sengam, there are many weavers who make dhoties and sarees on manually operated hand looms operated by wooden pedals. Many of these looms ended up under water, destroying the equipment and the ability of these weavers to carry on their craft and make a living. In addition, many lost all or most of their belongings.

The district collector called the secretary of the Rotary club of Tiruvannamalia in the late morning to request their help and by early afternoon, an army of Rotary members had gathered. Rotary members S. Giridharan and B. Soundararajan brought two 200 kilogram bags of rice, and members lined up to separate the rice into five kilogram bags and seal them with a candle. Other Rotary members contributed cloth bags to …read more

Source:: Rotary International Blog

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