It would take years for Uttarakhand to fully recover from the catastrophic flashfloods that have killed hundreds of people, stranded several thousands, and have caused devastation of epic proportions.
48 bodies found floating in Ganga
The ‘Himalayan Tsunami’ has severed holy sites such as Kedarnath and Badrinath from the rest of Uttarakhand, effectively suspending the Chardham yatra, much to the dismay of millions of Hindu pilgrims.
Despite the heroic efforts of the Army and paramilitary forces in leading rescue operations, several hundred disaster-struck families are still without access to food, water and medical facilities.
It is our duty as Indian citizens, to donate and extend our arms to the people of the State, who have borne the wrath of the calamity.
Here are a few ways you can contribute to relief operations in Uttarakhand:
You can donate to the Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS), which has constituted a relief forum – Uttaranchal Daivee Aapada Peedith Sahayata Samiti – to provide assistance to local groups and to coordinate funds for rescue operations in Uttarakhand.
Uttarakhand tragedy: Death toll rises to 556; 50,000 still stranded
Contributions can be sent to ‘Uttaranchal Daivee Aapada Peedith Sahayata Samiti’
| SBI A/c No : 31156574681 |
| Branch : SBI Main Branch, Dehradun |
| IFSC Code : SBIN0000630 |
(Source: RSS website)
Another organisation for disaster relief – Doctors For You (DFY) –has appealed for donations from all corners for relief operations as part of the Uttarakhand flood response team. DFY will set up medical relief camps and provide basic necessities like water and food to affected persons in Rishikesh and neighbouring areas.
Contributions can be sent to ‘Doctors For You’
| Yes Bank A/C No: 000190300000030 |
| Branch: Yes Bank, Worli branch, Mumbai |
| IFSC Code: YESB0000001 |
(Source: Doctors For You website)
Volunteers could also search for and provide information on missing people in flood-hit areas in Uttarakhand using the Google application – Person Finder.
An initiative of the Google crisis team, Person Finder allows individuals to post and search for the status of relatives or friends affected by a disaster.
The Google Person Finder has a page for Uttarakhand titled – 2013 Uttrakhand Floods – which is available at the Google India blog
All data entered into Google Person Finder is available to the public and searchable by anyone. The tool can help trace the missing people in flood-affected regions of Uttarakhand and is available in both Hindi and English.
The programme also lets press agencies, non-governmental agencies and others contribute to the database and receive updates by using the Person Finder API based on the PFIF open standard.
Facebook groups such as Uttarakhand Flood Disaster Management Forum and Uttarakhand flood disaster 2013: information, help and relief are active forums constantly updated with the latest information about rescue operations, missing persons, and flood victims. Any information related to the flood can be posted on these pages.
If you have any valuable information about missing persons, specially relatives or friends stranded in any of the flood-affected areas in Uttarakhand, you may call up the State helpline numbers. However, it must be a genuine phone call so that the lines do not get jammed up as others may get deprived of any valuable information regarding their dear ones.
In such a time of national mourning, it is the prerogative of Indians all across to help Uttarakhand return to normalcy.
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