In June 2013, the North Indian State of Uttarakhand witnessed the worst floods and landslides in over a century. We provided immediate emergency relief and aided in long-term rehabilitation by helping to rebuild two schools.
More than 5,000 people died in the floods and landslides, and as the heavy rainfall had destroyed bridges and roads, about 1,00,000 pilgrims and tourists were stranded in the deluge.
This disaster struck for a short duration but impacted the lives of many people in a big way. The magnitude of the disaster was such that it needed rehabilitation efforts too. Two educational institutions affected by the floods were the Goswami Ganesh Dutt Saraswati Vidya Mandir, Uttarkashi, and Saraswati Vidya Mandir, Joshimath. While the Uttarkashi school houses approximately 1000 students from 6th to 12th standards, the Joshimath school has 700 students from 1st to 12th standards.
The Uttarkashi school was totally swept away in the floods. We joined hands with Parmarth Niketan, Rishikesh to support the reconstruction of this school. The Joshimath school was severely damaged in the floods and some of its rooms were completely washed away. We sponsored the complete rebuilding of this school with the support of Giants Group of Chowpatty, a service organisation that led the rebuilding efforts.
In the immediate aftermath of the disaster, we worked closely with NGOs active on the ground and supplied rice, dal, spices, medicines and large tarpaulins to relief camps set up in Rishikesh. We also supported the efforts of the Government of Gujarat by sponsoring kits, which included 35 lifesaving items such as grains, milk powder, utensils, clothing and blankets.
