Tsunami Relief efforts after Nature unleashes her fury

Early morning on the 26th of December, a colossal earthquake beneath the ocean off the coast of Indonesia flung open the gates of horror in Southern India and other waterfront countries across the Indian Ocean. Measuring 9.0 on the Richter scale, the earthquake generated gigantic Tsunami waves that crashed through seaside villages, flooding and washing away homes and people in its wake. Thousands lay dead as the waters finally receded. Mass graves were filled with the dead… thousands were rendered homeless…. The death toll was 23,000; the final tally still unknown as ongoing relief efforts continued to unearth more bodies…

Amma’s coastal ashram of Amritapuri also witnessed flooding as the seawaters rushed in, engulfing the village where the ashram stands. In the immediate neighborhood of the ashram, the villagers lamented the lives, homes and belongings that ‘Kadalamma’- Mother Sea- carried away with her. There were about 20,000 people from across the world in the ashram as the disaster struck, but no one there was injured.

As soon as the seawater rushed into the ashram grounds, Amma stopped giving darshan, draped an ochre shawl around herself and came down to direct the relief efforts. Conceiving the magnitude of relief needed, Amma set to work immediately, at first making sure that everyone in the ashram area was safely evacuated further inland across the backwaters, far away from the clutches of the raging sea. Then she reached out to those in need by setting up relief camps and shelters for those whose homes had been washed away by the Tsunami.

Having worked all day, it was past midnight when Amma- the last person to leave the ashram- reached the other side of the backwaters…yet she did not stop. She continued organizing further relief work without even drinking a drop of water. “How could I eat or drink while so many lie dead?”…was her question when someone offered her some water.

Under Amma's instructions, relief camps were set up at both the Amrita University School of Engineering and at the new Ayurveda School. More than 3,000 evacuees are being accommodated there. Nine of the area's schools were set up as disaster shelters by the government, and Amma's ashram has been providing those shelters with food and other necessities like clothes and blankets. Six ambulances from the Ashram's AIMS Hospital, with medical teams lead by 10 doctors are making regular rounds as mobile medical units. They are visiting each shelter every two hours, 24 hours a day.

Buzzing with activity, the Ashram is preparing food three times a day for 10,000 people, cooking the rice, uppama and curries, with many of the devotees from around the world chopping vegetables, glad to chip in their bit toward the effort. Sacks of uncooked rice are also being delivered for distribution among the needy.

Amma’s ashram is also actively involved in relief operations in Cochin (Vaippin), Trivandrum, Chennai and Pondicherry. Amma has instructed all the Ashram branches throughout South India to help in the relief efforts.

An outpouring of support from Amma’s children around the world is going out to aid the disaster relief efforts. Amma’s children from California alone have pledged to rebuild the village of Parayakadavu, where the Amritapuri ashram stands.

The magnitude of devastation is enormous. Much effort will be needed to rebuild and restore the lives of the survivors…but Amma labors on… a labor of love. “Amma is sad about those that lost their lives…” she says, “…but it is the pain of the survivors that Amma cannot bear…”

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