We were together working in 97 villages on basic relief (62 in Nagai and Cuddalore, 25 in Koovathur and Kelambakkam, 10 in Chennai and Tiruvallur).  MALAR was also working in several villages in Kanyakumari but there were very few AID volunteers directly involved at the field level.  In most relief and rehabilitation, the marginalized are the ones left behind. We made sure that we worked in many of the dalit and irular hamlets along with the other ‘meenavar’ hamlets.

There were about 2000 AID volunteers from colleges and companies who were working on the field in the various villages. Many of these volunteers took leave from their companies and colleges. Several companies sent volunteer teams on a regular rotation basis to work in our field areas.  DYFI, PSF and TNSF together mobilized another about 2000 volunteers from nearby villages and districts who stayed at these centers for several weeks working on debris clearance and providing relief – even at the cost of their own families going hungry for several days.

The relief supplies needed on the ground were changing every day.  Thanks to this coordination system, on a daily basis we were able to focus on collecting items that were needed each day.  For example by the 3^rd and 4^th day, there was an excess of clothing, but very little women’s clothing and undergarments and napkins - we started focusing on these. Similarly instead of cooked food, people wanted dry rations and stoves and our focus similarly changed to these.