When the Tata Relief Committee (TRC) decided to undertake temporary relief operations in the affected areas, it faced a number of hurdles, but lack of volunteers was not one of them. Seventy volunteers from various Tata companies offered their services, braving their own fears, lack of comfort, separation from families and exposure to health hazards, for a chance to help alleviate the sorrows of their suffering countrymen and to offer what consolation they could.

Also see Wave of relief Getting started Permanent rehabilitation Each according to ability The collector's testimonial The people story

Life at the relief camps was never going to be easy. The volunteers, immunised against typhoid and cholera, were forewarned about what their job would involve, how they must handle crowds, and the necessity of keeping tempers and emotions in check. At the camps the volunteers had to unload material from trucks and pack it into boxes to be distributed to the affected families. They then had to spend the rest of the day distributing the material, managing crowds, assuring them that there was enough for everyone. Evenings would be a time for discussing the events of the day, planning the agenda for the next day and updating the TRC control room in Chennai.

The family relief kit the volunteers packed consisted of 22 items and included a mat, clothes and towels, food, tarpaulin, toiletries, different-sized footwear, and utensils. The package was so large that the recipients found it difficult to carry home. Says S. Ilangovan of Tata Motors, a core committee member of TRC, "We thought of everything that the people would need."

The distribution of relief material was done with the help of and in coordination with the local administration. Lists of the affected were obtained from the panchayat office. Based on these lists, coupons were issued to one member per family. TRC's duties were not restricted to the distribution of relief material. Volunteers also took it upon themselves to interact with the families, especially children.

The immediate aftermath of a natural disaster is the most trying of times for the people bearing the brunt of the suffering. TRC's efforts in the tsunami-hit districts of Tamil Nadu in the early days following the disaster helped a battered people get back on their feet.

Uploaded in April 27, 2005