Puducherry: A Church-sponsored program is helping survivors of 2004 tsunami to recount how they rebuilt their lives after the tragedy.
Caritas India, a social service arm of the Catholic Church that organized the March 5-6 program, has worked in relief and rehabilitation in Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh and Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
The tsunami hit several countries in Asia, including India, on December 26, 2004.
Over the course of the past 10 years, it has built 13,472 houses in these areas. In Puducherry, the organization has built 424 houses, Haridoss, Zonal Manager, Caritas India, told the Tsunami Decennial Remembrance program.
A research paper by the Indian Social Institute, Delhi studies the satisfaction among beneficiaries, and their opinion on the relief provided. Puducherry Chief Minister N Rangasamy will release the research paper, ‘Weaving Hopes After Disaster,’ on Friday.
Father Paul Moonjely, assistant director, Caritas India, told The Hindu that 66 percent of the beneficiaries had expressed satisfaction over the relief and rehabilitation measures. “This is an encouraging sign for us. The research paper and the event will help us assimilate lessons in disaster management,” he told a press meet on Wednesday.
Around 200 guests from NGOs, the United Nations, donor agencies, academic institutions, government agencies such as the State Disaster Management Authority, and other organizations are attending the event, which includes workshops and discussions, said Father Albert Thambidurai, executive director, Pondicherry Multipurpose Social Service Society.