“They woke us up at 2 AM asking us to leave the house. Everything was dark, and we were terrified. There was water everywhere. I lived in this neighbourhood for more than 30 years, and I have never seen anything like that,” explains Nirmala, one of the residents in the Anantapur colonies badly affected by the 12th October floods.

At the dawn, an RDT team, formed by experts in different fields, visited the most affected areas in Anantapur.

After an initial assessment on the ground with the municipality and Government authorities, RDT decided to take immediate action to provide relief to the families in distress.

“Food and water are the most pressing needs for those who have lost everything overnight. We need to step in to support the authorities and help the most vulnerable,” stated Ms Visha Ferrer, RDT Women Empowerment director, after visiting the affected areas.

In less than 8 hours, cooked meals and drinking water were distributed to 8,700 people from 10 colonies in the urban areas of Anantapur, and two medical teams visited the affected areas to conduct health camps. The emergency relief is expected to continue for a few days.

“The coming hours are crucial to know the exact damages, as the weather forecast indicates rain for at least 2 to 3 more days“, stated Nagappa from the emergency relief.

Few schools in the area remained shut for the day as the buildings and materials suffered several damages. Those public buildings in good are used as shelters. “My family and I could not take anything. I only took my bicycle rickshaw, as it is my income source,” recalls Ramulu, 50.

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