Tsunami Maldives Essay Example for Free

Tsunami Maldives EssayNatural disasters act as strong bonds to join the hearts of people even if they live poles apart. Irrespective of caste, religion and creed, everyone see with the victims and comes forward to athletic supporter them. Helps pour in from every corner of the world. Even persons who have little idea about the locations where such disasters occur, offer their wholehearted support, be it monetary or simple condolence messages.I have chosen this topic because of its sensitivity. It is very necessary to highlight the issues which ar very crucial from humanistic point of view. Tsunami in South Asia created havoc and caused widespread devastation. As an educated and responsible person, I volunteered to work for the needy people. I actively took part in the rescue and relief operations in Maldives. I performed my duty to my home country as well as to the mankind.It is always seen that volunteers always take the initiatives to take part in the rescue operations much before the official machinery reach at that place. It is a unique example how the tragedies unite people emotionally. Such tragedies make the theme boundaries irrelevant. In such terrible times, we unaccompanied suppose one thing that we are human beings and offer physical and moral support to our fellow brethren who are suffering at the moment.I could non have chosen a better topic than this one. Rather than writing on my works, I have think on how people from all sections of society join hands to help the people in distress. Humanity plays a great role in such incidents. Importance of volunteers and workers in such disasters cannot be undermined. It is necessary to make people aware of their responsibilities as human beings. Everyone should know about the impact of such disasters on the affected people who go through traumatic experience. The difficulties experienced by the official machinery in helping the affected people micturately emphasise on the need of volunteers in such incidents who are always in a better position to reach the victims immediately.Tsunami in South AsiaA devastating temblor occurred off the West Coast of Northern Sumatra (Indonesia) on 26 December 2004. It magnitude was measured at 9.0 on the Richter scale. Another earthquake of magnitude 7.3 occurred in the Great Nicobar Islands, India. These two earthquakes triggered Tsunami in South Asia. A series of aftershock were reported in this region. The worst-affected countries by Tsunami were India, Indonesia, Maldives, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Malaysia. The 30 feet high tidal waves or Tsunami that travelled at the speed of up to 500 miles per hour, caused massive destructions all over (Behreandt, 2005, p. 4).Maldives was one of the countries in South Asia, which was affected heavily by the killer Tsunami waves. Maldives comprises of 199 islands in the Indian Ocean. It has a population of around 300,000. The geographic position of Maldives makes the transportation system a littl e bit complex. Boats and Ferries are the prime mode of transportation among the islands in Maldives (Behreandt, 2005, p. 16).When Tsunami struck, it damaged most of the boats, ferries and jetties. Falling trees and damaged houses blocked the public transport system. It became tough to rescue the victims who were stuck under the debris. The government machinery was completely paralysed as it was never prepared to deal with such a situation.It did not have the resources and immediate manpower to help the victims. Isolation of places and problems in transportation aggravated the situation further. severeness weather hindered the rescue and relief operations. Agencies such as Red Cross, Red Cres cent and others found it difficult to provide immediate relief to people who lived in distant places. Several areas in Maldives were without power and water due to the damage caused by Tsunami. on that point were several tourist resorts in Maldives which were completed damaged.Heavy death R escue consummations in MaldivesAt the time of Tsunami, I was in Maldives due to vacation. My mother was in one of the most affected island (TH VILUFUSHI) during tsunami. But it was not possible for me to go there as all the communication links were cut off. Although I was disturbed and alarmked for the well-being of my mother, I k new-made I could only pray for her safety. Situation around me was tense and horrible. Death toll was mounting and people are not getting the help they urgently needed at that time. Official machinery was not effective and other agencies were finding it difficult to reach the affected areas. In such a situation, there was need of volunteers who could understand the geographic conditions very well and offer helping hands.I joined the group of volunteers in the rescue and relief operations. Maldives was experiencing the worst disaster in its history. There was panic and grief all over. Our main strain was to save as many lives as possible. We dig out the debris to look out for the survivors. We had witnessed people squall under the debris for help. It was not easy to rescue the survivors safely as they were already injured and we had to pull them out with proper care and caution.I remember one incident when one of my co-workers got himself injured during the rescue operation. He was hit by a large stone on head and bled heavily. We immediately cannonball along to his help with first-aid. But he urged us to ignore his condition and help the victims who had been affected badly by the killer Tsunami and needed immediate attention. That incident fill new spirit in us and made us more determined.Role of Volunteers in the Tsunami Relief OperationsAlthough the death toll in Maldives was 82, there were many people who would have died without the rescue operation undertaken by volunteers. Volunteers contend a study role in locating the survivors and providing them food and medical aid. It was genuinely heartening to see the early days volunteering in the operation without any self interest. Our group was comprised of 20 people and we carefully carried out our operations.Our first priority was to recover, notice and bury the dead. We provided emergency food, water and shelter to displaced people with the help of NGOs and other foreign agencies. We experienced a series of problems in burying the dead as many of the bodies were beyond recognition and could not be identified. There were several people who were crying and looking for their family members and relatives.We tried our best to help them in identifying their deceased relatives and then burying the bodies. Sometimes, we got distracted by the emotional experience around us. But we knew we had to keep patience and help the survivors who were completed stranded without any staple fibre amenities. I remember a 12-year old boy who wooly all his family members and was crying bitterly. He had lost everything in the disaster and was clueless about his future. T here were several such incidents which occurred before us and other volunteers.While the rescue operation was going on, I got the news of safety of my mother. It boosted my confidence and filled new spirit in me. I was determined of doing my best to help people of my country at the time of disaster. My country was going through the worst-phase of its history and it desperately needed volunteers like me. formerly the debris was cleared and all the survivors were rushed to safe places, we had another challenging task in hand. It was very necessary to clear the mess created by the Tsunami. Broken houses, debris, falling trees and contaminated water would have resulted in deadly epidemic like situation. With the help of government officials, NGOs and other foreign agencies such as Red Cross and UN volunteer groups, we worked on a war-footing to restore the water and power supplies. We had launched a cleanliness drive to purify the water and improve the sanitation facility. It was reall y surprising to see a large number of volunteers participating in such operations.Role of Foreign Groups and Agencies in the Tsunami Relief OperationThe overwhelming response received from governments, charities and NGOs of foreign countries had provided a great support to the rescue and relief operations in Maldives. There were several such groups and agencies that compete an important role in helping Tsunami-affected people. The death toll in Maldives would have been much higher without the help of volunteers who came to rescue of the victims and survivors.The get together Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme, in coordination with United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Bureau for Crisis Prevention and Recovery (BCPR), had deployed police squads of UN Volunteers in Tsunami-affected countries. Their aim was to help governments and other UN agencies provide relief to thousands of people who lost their homes and family members. The UNV sent its team of volunteers who wor ked along with the local people in the rescue and relief operations. They mainly work for the rehabilitation and restoration of the fishing villages devastated by the Tsunami in the islands of Maldives (Behreandt, 2005, p. 24).RedR is one of the agencies which compete an active role in the Tsunami relief operations. It deployed logisticians, engineers and camp managers in Maldives. It provided selected relief personnel to clear the areas and rebuild them. Australian Volunteers International (AVI) worked in areas affected by the tsunami. Many of the volunteers had expertise and experience in handling such type of operations. During the rehabilitation process, AVI launched a project to tackle the shortage of teachers in Maldives (Behreandt, 2005, p. 25).Another volunteer organisation, Voluntary Service Overseas (VSO) launched a number of projects such as the educational sector grant initiated by the Development Cooperation of Ireland. It provided library books and facilities to 27 t sunami-affected schools. It alike trained 230 teachers in 20 schools across the Maldives. Another key voluntary organisation was Friends of Maldives (FOM) that sent over 100 tons of medical supplies, food, clothing and tools to Maldives. FOM is the major NGO bringing aid to the Maldives aftermath Tsunami (Behreandt, 2005, p. 25).Rehabilitation ProcessAccording to the government estimates, more than two-thirds of the population in Maldives were affected by Tsunami. Fifty per cent of houses in Maldives were affected. Communication links, jetties, power supply, hospitals and sewerage system had been heavily hit. Transportation to the islands had become more difficult. The government had little resources to pull off with the situation arisen after Tsunami. The professorship of Maldives declared a State of National Disaster and called for international help. Several countries and foreign agencies responded with the financial aid. Donations of food, clothing, medicine, tents, blankets and other necessary goods poured in. However, it was necessary to distribute these relief materials among people. It would not have been possible without the help of volunteers.We coordinated with the local officials and a team of Red Cross workers who developed an effective psychosocial program in the Maldives. The main focus of the psychosocial program was to address the physical, mental and social well-being of the Tsunami-affected people in Maldives. We took the initiative of providing community support to families. After the disaster, children were too scared to go to school. Once the school buildings were repaired, we met their parents and convinced them to send the children to school. With the help of other agencies, we provided them food, clothing and books. There was shortage of teachers in the schools. Most of us volunteered to assist the teachers in our spare time. I also took part in the teaching programmes and taught in two schools on a part-time basis for a few weeks.R ed Cross played an important role in the rehabilitation work. Besides launching psychosocial programs and providing educational support to the children, it reached the local women groups that were active in the society. Red Cross believed that providing support to women would good their families and children. It launched mass awareness programmes to persuade people come out of their home and work to earn money for their families. Due to the joint efforts of Red Cross and local volunteers, more than 13,000 people were assisted by the psychosocial programme.The Commonwealth provided medical assistance to the Tsunami-affected Maldives. Doctors from the Commonwealth countries were brought to Maldives to provide adequate treatment to the injured people. Doctors with expertise in orthopaedics, paediatrics, frequent surgery, obstetrics, gynaecology and medicine joined the team of volunteers under the Commonwealth Service Abroad Programme (CSAP). They coordinated with the local staff for the development of rehabilitation wellness programmes (Behreandt, 2005, p. 26).Teaching the children was a great experience for me. It was a tough task to motivate the students who were already going through the traumatic experience of Tsunami. They could hardly subdue in study. Our first priority was to help them regain their confidence. We were trained with child-centred teaching techniques. The new techniques involved bringing the children into groups and wiping out the fear from their mind.Rather than going for the conventional way of teaching methods, we tried to create a child-friendly environment. That worked perfectly and they soon started forgetting the bitter memories of Tsunami. They felt more comfortable in groups and became more open. We introduced games, competitions with rewards and other fun programmes to add fun to their life. It was a great achievement for us as we succeeded in bringing smile to the faces of the horror-stricken children.ConclusionFrom my experie nce as a volunteer in Maldives, I realised the importance of working for the well-being of the needy people during disasters. The poor and helpless people desperately needed help in those hours of crisis. The role of volunteers becomes very crucial in such rescue and relief operations as the official machinery always find it difficult to cope with the situation. Its time for the youth to realise its full potential in life. They need to rise to the occasion to fulfil their obligation towards the nation and the mankind. Every responsible youth must understand the importance of volunteering during disasters.We understood our responsibility and did whatever we could for the benefit of the community. Our sincerity and dedication have been appreciated by everyone. Our work was purely establish on humanitarian ground and we never expected anything in return. We had a one point agenda to bring smiles on the face of people who lost almost everything in the disaster.BibliographyBehreandt, De nnis. 2005. Swept Away The Epic Disaster in Southeast Asia Has Taken Many Thousands of Lives. As Failures by the Involved Governments Attest, the Relief Efforts argon Best Left to the Private Sector, The New American, Vol. 21.Walls, Michael, 2005, Report Review of Tsunami Recovery, 30 October 2005, http//www.reliefweb.int/library/documents/2005/trn-tsunami-24Jun.pdf.Winston, Stacy, 2005, The beginning of a Red Crescent National Society in the Maldives, 30 October 2005, http//www.ifrc.org/docs/News/05/05100501/index.asp.Mark, Amanda, 2005, Red Cross Programs Help Rebuild After Tsunami, 30 October 2005, http//www.redcross.org/article/0,1072,0_440_4091,00.html.Rice, Alison, 2005, Post-tsunami reconstruction and tourism a second disaster?, 29 October 2005, http//www.tourismconcern.org.uk/pdfs/Final%20report.pdf.Dhivehi Observer, 2004, Tsunami waves flood Maldives, 30 October 2005, http//www.dhivehiobserver.com/tsunami_december_2004/day3.html.UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitaria n Affairs, 2004, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Maldives, Sri Lanka, Thailand and, Somalia Earthquake and Tsunami OCHA Situation Report No. 4, 29 October 2005, http//www.globalsecurity.org/military/library/news/2004/12/mil-041227-un1.htm.Thomas, Dan, 2005, Tsunami offers schools opportunities for change, 30 October 2005, http//www.unicef.org/infobycountry/maldives_27300.html.