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Sherry's Diary

Surveying the Cyclone Damage in Visahka, India

Sherry Grant (center) gets briefing from Pradeep Nath (right)

 

[note: Sherry is on the the eastern costal city of Visakha, India.  The city and the surrounding areas were wiped out in a cyclone (or hurricane) that swept through the area in mid-October.  She is there assisting the Visakha SPCA (VSPCA) and its president, Pradeep Nath.  The VSPCA cares for over 700 animals including dogs and farm animals.  Their shelter and facilities were wiped out in the Cyclone and HSI has funded rebuilding the animal shelters and caring for the injured animals.  Sherry is there to oversee the project and offer what aid HSI can.  For assistance, she has called upon the HSI supported teams from the Yudisthira Bali Street Dog Foundation and the Sri Lankan Tsunami Memorial Animal Welfare Trust (TMAWT).  Both groups have sent veterinarian teams to help with the work.  The effort is also being assisted by the animal welfare groups AHEAD, from Ahmedabad, India, and Animal Aid, from Udiapor, India.]

 

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Sherry Grant

Visakha, India

Sunday, 23 October 2005

The pictures I received from Pradeep of the VSPCA damage from the flooding and cylones does not completely depict the extent of the damage.  Yes the buildings, enclosures and structures are broken, his property damaged and debris is everywhere, but until you walk around to survey the sight you become attuned to nature very quickly when you find yourself literally standing knee deep in liquefaction scarp of dung and debris where the cattle sheds used to be and compost piles for organic farming.  The pictures don’t show that.

The pictures don’t show the hardship of the unseasonable monsoon rains that pound us periodically through out the day undoing the remedial repairs that have been made to provide the cattle temporary relief from the elements.

What is evident are a handful of local workers racing against time and weather to finish the in complete shelters for the cows which were in process at the time disaster struck.  I asked Pradeep the obvious, ‘why don’t you hire more workers’?  And by the end of the day it was clear – the weather and the work – no matter how much money he pays them these two factors put the workers off.  He pays over three times the going rate – but that doesn’t seem to be the answer.  They come, they leave and don’t show up the next day.

We began working on a solution both short and long term.  The immediate needs were identified for the use of the HSI 20,000 donation  to get the 10,000 square foot cesspool of dung and urine cleared away.  We agreed that the traditional method of women scooping up a load one-rice-bag-at-a-time or  and carrying it on their head is out.  What is needed is some heavy equipment for the day.

Skyler Grant working on re-construction plans

Rahul Sehgal’s Animal Help Emergency and Disaster (A.H.E.A.D.) team, Dr. Kabir Desai, Tek Bahadur, Daxesh Solanki, Agnedabad with Mr. Devendra and Mr. Gajendra from Animal Aid Society, Udaipur and was the first team in the rotation and put to the task of tending the livestock health needs and the cleaning of the cattle enclosures both temporary and permanent – which stand on higher ground.  Dr. Kabir Desai who works with livestock was part of the brainstorming session to work toward a solution for the clearing of the cesspool and rebuilding the cattle sheds.  When the street dogs arrived a he started with the spaying and neutering while A.H.E.A.D team helped with the animal handling and other responsibilities.

We wrapped up the day with Skyler Grant drafting a rough site plan so we could start mapping our plan.  Pradeep chased the government contact via phone after our unsuccessful visit to an empty office.  The government has verbally committed to VSPCA  funds to assist in the rebuilding of the breakwater wall and the cattle shed.  An appointment for Thursday is scheduled………..

 

 

Click here for the VSPCA Website: www.VisakhaSPCA.org

 

 

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