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In Wake of Cyclone Nargis, Remember Orissa

By Manipadma Jena, Womens Feature Service

When Cyclone Nargis hit Myanmar May 2, the 112-knot winds knocked out power and communication lines and caused widespread devastation, it was reminiscent of the catastrophic tropical cyclone that struck Orissa in 1999.

The Myanmar authorities would now do well to learn from Orissa. Today, the Indian coastal state has village women trained to respond to natural disasters. Working under self-help groups, these local women can build houses for those left homeless, run community kitchens, organise medical relief, administer first aid and rescue drowning people.

They are, in fact, geared up to face a natural disaster even before the radio warnings are aired.

"We hastened to the community health centre, requested the doctor to release sufficient paracetamol, diarrhoea medicine and ORS to the local grassroots health worker. From her we distributed these among vulnerable families."

Womens Feature Service covers developmental, political, social and economic issues in India and around the globe. To get these articles for your publication, contact WFS at the www.wfsnews.org website.