A search was undertaken to locate the survivors—some 5,000 families who had rushed for cover to the tekhris or highlands about 8-10 km away from the coast. Access t Access to these tekhris lay through forests. Only cycles could navigate the terrain. The primary task was to provide food, drinking water and medical assistance. Later, awareness camps were set up to acquaint the villagers with the possibility of epidemics.

An abandoned youth club building was located near the tekhris. Here they set up base and started an OPD. Doctors and paramedics examine patients in the morning. By afternoon they go on the rounds distributing survival kits comprising clothes, sheets, blankets, dry rations, utensils, buckets, water purification agents, oral rehydration packets etc.

But the immediate concern is the rains, expected by April. Says Dr Dinesh Pendharkar who has just returned to Delhi from Hut Bay, "Survivors are currently staying in areas with soft soil, which is not ideal given the impending rains." The government needs to identify areas where the people can be rehabilitated, he adds.

Each day brings new challenges for the relief workers. Unlike the Orissa cyclone of ’99 or the Gujarat quake in ’01, the scale of devastation here is many times more, says a volunteer. In Bhuj, moreover, there was an air force base through which relief could be reached. Here transport is a major problem. VHAI has been bringing relief materials from Calcutta. But with most of the jetties damaged, loading and unloading is painstakingly slow. Telephone lines are nonexistent and mobile coverage absent. For any contact, the volunteers have to make a 10-hour life-threatening journey from Hut Bay to Port Blair—some boats or ships have gaping holes in the hull, only temporarily blocked for now, while the engine in others stop dead mid-ocean. There is no electricity and life comes to a halt by 4.00 pm.

As a federation that links 4,000 institutions, VHAI has mastered the art of teamwork. A total of 35 volunteers are based in Port Blair. They’re organised into groups of nine—four doctors and five others for logistical support. Each team is stationed for a week on the field and depending on their feedback, the next is sent with the required provisions. They began with a budget of Rs 1 crore of which Rs 75 lakh has been spent. But VHAI officials say they are committed to long-term rehabilitation. A stock-taking meeting to be held soon will determine further commitments and subsequent budget increases.

The difficulties notwithstanding, volunteers say the affected people are learning to rebuild their lives. Many are also assisting the VHAI teams.

Volunteers are currently undertaking a detailed vulnerability mapping of the area. But in the days to come, work will have to focus on helping rebuild livelihoods.