Tsunami Relief

News Update: January 2008

Amma’s Ashram Became the
Centre of Relief Operations

When the tsunami struck Amritapuri and the neighbouring coastal villages on 26 December 2004, Amma’s Ashram became the centre of relief operations. More than 140 people were killed in the immediate area and countless houses were destroyed. It was Amma herself who waded through the water, directing the evacuation of the 20,000 people visiting the Ashram at the time. She sent her disciples out into the flooded village to rescue people and search for the injured and dying.

Amma deployed ambulances, doctors and medical supplies from her AIMS Hospital to the devastated areas on both India’s east and west coasts and immediately began supplying food, clothing and shelter to tens of thousands. The morning after, she visited relief camps set up at Amrita University, consoling the families and sharing their immense grief. A few days later, the Ashram assisted the grief-stricken community with the mass cremation of its loved ones and brought together thousands to pray for the deceased and the bereaved.

Within hours of the disaster in the vicinity of Amritapuri, Amma transformed the Amrita University’s local colleges into relief camps. She arranged the collection and distribution of all necessary supplies, considering every last detail. So intense was her concern for the needs of the villagers that for 24 hours she took neither food nor rest, not even a drop of water.

The Ashram fed not only 2,000 village evacuees and 3,000 ashram residents in its own camps, but also 15,000 people in the 12 government shelters nearby. The Ashram provided everything it could from its storerooms. Evacuees were given blankets, sleeping mats, soap, clothes and medical care.

Within a few weeks, the Ashram distributed cash payments to thousands of families for replacing household cooking vessels. Volunteers spent time with the villagers, consoling them, listening to them and offering their support. They also helped the families to clear away the sludge and rubble from the houses left standing. For months afterwards, the Ashram kitchen served 10,000 meals three times a day to the relief camps and to 18 food counters in the devastated villages near Amritapuri. This massive operation was supported by volunteers and a fleet of lorries that went out three times a day providing both food and hope.

Within a week of the tragedy, construction of temporary shelters for the homeless began on M.A. Math’s land. Nine shelters, complete with electricity, ceiling fans and separate bathrooms, were built within a few weeks. In Alappad, Kerala and Samanthampettai, Tamil Nadu, the M.A. Math provided shelter for 550 families. The M.A. Math connected its temporary shelters with the AIMS Hospital and the Amritapuri Ashram hospital via a telemedicine satellite link.

Amma's Pledge

Long-term Tsunami Relief Projects

• Rebuilding more than 6,200 homes in Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Pondicherry, Andhra Pradesh, Andaman & Nicobar Islands.
• Rebuilding hundreds of homes in Sri Lanka through Healthcare Charities, Inc., U.S.A. (an initiative of Amma’s devotees).
• Providing pensions for widows in the two adopted villages in Tamil Nadu and in the area around the Ashram.
• In Tamil Nadu, the M.A. Math has donated 600 fishing boats, engines, and fishing nets. In Kerala, the M.A. Math has donated 100 boats, engines and nets. The approximate cost for this is Rs. 4.3 crores, ( $1 million U.S.). On an average 7 families will be supported by each fishing boat.

• 800 nursing assistants trained at AIMS
• 1000 automobile drivers and security guards trained at the M.A. Math’s vocational training centre
• Seven young women educated at the Ashram’s Teacher Training College in Mysore
• Hundreds of women trained in tailoring, candle-making and toy-making