The Planning Secretariat hall at the Kozhikode civil station on Wednesday was a beehive of activities on July 31 (Wednesday). A motley group of around 100 persons, comprising mainly volunteers, interns from the District Collector’s internship programme, and collectorate employees, were working like a well-oiled machine in an effort to send relief material to the landslide-hit regions in Wayanad.
Some made records of the material received, some sorting them, while some were busy packing and loading them into a waiting truck. By the end of the day, 13 truckloads of relief material were shipped to Meppadi directly under the banner of the district administration. Half-a-dozen truck loads were sent from the district from various agencies.
“We were quite surprised by the kind of response we got in just one day to the District Collector’s call for help through social media. People keep coming with trucks full of relief material,” said Nijeesh A, who is coordinating activities at the collectorate.
Several organisations, including traders’ bodies, chambers of commerce, residents’ associations, school managements, and clubs have made significant contributions.
“By evening, we got an official message that enough relief material had reached Wayanad. However, we do not want to stop well-wishers who continue to drop in materials,” Mr. Nijeesh said. Relief material from other districts such as Thiruvananthapuram, Alappuzha, Kasaragod, Pathanamthitta, Malappuram, Palakkad and Kannur too was channelled through the Kozhikode collectorate.
Besides, 400 kits containing essential food products were delivered at the Calicut International Airport from where three Navy helicopters picked them up to be airdropped at the disaster site.
The Kozhikode Corporation had also set up a collection centre at Tagore Centenary Hall from where five truckloads of relief material were sent to Wayanad. “The response was overwhelming. We could sent around eight tonnes of material, which consisted of footwear, water bottles, clothes, blankets, diapers, and towels,” Corporation Secretary K.U. Bini said.
Several organisations lent a helping hand to the authorities in other ways. The Malabar Development Council handed over different types of LED torches to the fire and rescue services to be used during rescue operations. The Malabar Tourism Council volunteered to help foreign and domestic tourists, who were stranded in Wayanad as transportation out of the district is in jeopardy owing to restrictions imposed by the authorities.
