AID-Chennai has worked closely with several organizations such as TNSF (Tamil Nadu Science Forum), DYFI (Democratic Youth Federation of India), SFI (Students Federation of India) and AIDWA on relief efforts in the Cuddalore area. These groups formed an operations center in a house under construction that was close to the relief camps and were more effective because of their proximity to the camps.  The relief camps were set up in a school and a marriage hall in the relatively inland area of Killai, where the waters had stopped short by hundreds of meters. Nearly two thousand people from six coastal villages converged on the camp, leaving behind whatever remained of their homes, their livelihoods and about 110 bodies of their loved ones.

Relief work - Nagapattinam (Nagai) and coastal Chennai
As in Cuddalore, AID-Chennai volunteers like Charles worked closely with several other groups in Nagai and efforts have been coordinated through the Pondicherry Science Forum office in Pondicherry.  According to Charles, there were about 130 volunteers from all walks of life, including two Americans who showed up to help.  For the first two days, they focused on removing dead bodies and conducting their cremation or burial.  Immediate relief material requirements were identified and sent to AID-Chennai office, where volunteers then arranged for truck shipment of the materials.  A medical camp was set up with volunteer doctors.  Local committees were formed and, led by the Panchayat, they cooked food en masse and distributed them based on ration cards that were issued.  A survey is being conducted to define shelter needs and a report is expected any day. 

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