India: A week dedicated to flood safety

From ensuring safety during rainy reason to flood situations, the flood safety week trained students on pre-flood preparations through the video tutorials. More than 80 students at the Primary School Siswaniya under Purbi Champaran District of Bihar were informed to stay safe during floods through print and multimedia. After the video tutorial, a short training on the use of First Aid was given to the students.

West and East Champaran region of Bihar is highly exposed to annual flooding results in huge loss of lives and livelihood, leaving many inhabitants homeless and stranded. The areas near Gandak, Masan, and Sikarahna rivers are mostly affected. To aware the people of the affected areas, Caritas India Integrated Risk Management (IRM) team has organized flood safety week, from 1st June to 7th June 2019 in both IRM targeted areas with the help of most supportive wing of Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) village committee.

At Manjhriya Panchayat of Paharpur block, district East Champaran, a village level flood awareness rally was organized with the help of the active participation of village DRR committee members and children. During the rally, people carried pre-flood safety slogan in their hands and they were voicing the safety slogans loudly so that others can also listen and gain some insight on the pre-flood safety measures before the rainy session.

The event was successful in spreading different family level preparedness measures like family survival kit, water purification method, ORS preparation, rescue methods, first aid methods, etc with the community. During these awareness camps success in bringing community awareness on preparedness during a flood situation.