10 days of relief work across the city

Chennai

We began volunteering soon after the heavy rains. Our group including my friends Vijay, Aathi, Vineeth, Mani, Balaji, Praveen and Gowtham got together to discuss ideas. We decided to post our requirements on Facebook with our contacts, seeking help for relief materials. Soon, we had a number of people donating food, clothes, medicine and blankets. Putting all the collected items together, we set out in a van to the worst-affected areas.

We visited Saidapet, West Mambalam, Velachery, Guindy, Mint and Old Washermanpet in North Chennai. Labour Colony was one place that needed a lot of help and residents here were distraught as no one had visited the locality.

We distributed the relief materials we had collected, for over 10 days, reaching out to the nook and cranny of the city.

By the end of the relief exercise, we were humbled to see that a small step taken by us could make a difference to close to 15,000 people affected by the floods. But we were not alone in this endeavour, we had the support of innumerable people. It was a huge combined effort.

If you have an experience to share, as an on-field volunteer during Chennai floods, write to us at contact us. dtnext@ dt.co.in with a picture. We will feature your story.