UAE-based Kerala expats lend helping hand in flood relief

Several hundreds of faceless people have been running massive rescue and relief work on a war-footing to restore normalcy in the flood-ravaged state of Kerala. From engineers and doctors to actors and fishermen, volunteers from all walks of life have been working tirelessly and providing their relentless service free-of-cost.

At least a million people were evacuated from their homes during the floods that began early August. Khaleej Times caught up with a few UAE residents who joined in the relief operations in various refugee camps in the southern state.

Mohammad Siyad, a 43-year-old welder in a petroleum company in Jebel Ali, has been working steadily across 11 relief camps in Ernakulam district since August 16. The Aluva-native - employed in the UAE for over a year - has been in Kerala for a few months since his father's death. After realising the gravity of the flood situation, he stayed on and jumped into relief activities.

Siyad said, "It has been about two weeks that the water has started receding, but the work seems never-ending. We provided relief material in 11 camps in the Ernakulam area. The worst-hit was the UC College settlement in Kunnakara. Getting there was difficult, and people did not have access to even basic supplies. They were suffering."

He provided supplies such as mats, bedsheets, pillows, towels, and basic medical kits.

"There was so much suffering in these camps. They broke into tears when they got basic commodities. Earlier, they were sleeping on large leaves and coconut branches. People were filled with gratitude for even small things that we usually take for granted," he added.

The Good Samaritan said he felt Kerala came together as a state to help people, and he felt privileged for being able to be part of the relief operation. 

As the welder joined the campaign to rescue the flood victims, he forgot about his personal tragedies. One of his daughters suffers from tuberculosis and is undergoing treatment. His own house also got inundated in the floods. "My home in Aluva was swamped. The bottom portion was filled with water. Luckily, I moved my family to my wife's home. However, we lost almost all the possessions in our own house," he said. 

Jaleel PA, head of CSR at Aster DM Healthcare, was enjoying his holidays when the disaster struck. He said, "I covered 13 camps in and around Aluva. These areas were very severely affected due to their proximity to the Periyar river. We supplied necessary supplies such as mats and bedsheets." He added, "At one point, I was shocked to see that people were sleeping on the streets because there was no place in the camps anymore. They were using makeshift toilets and cooking on the roadside. Our focus was to help these people." PA said, "People lost almost everything. I felt that I was able to contribute more because I was present in Kerala. It was a very satisfying experience. I feel that my holidays came at the right time. I met a lot of interesting people, and everyone came forward to help. That was wonderful to witness and experience." 

Meanwhile, several professionals from Aster Volunteers, a CSR initiative of Aster DM Healthcare, formed a disaster support team to rehabilitate those affected. The team impacted nearly 40,000 lives in the flood-affected areas, a spokesperson said.