Deivakanni (63) living in Vembi village, has spent her life fighting to survive. The floods caused by Cyclone Fengal that impacted lives across the coastal belt of Tamil Nadu in December 2024, tested her resilience in unimaginable ways. Living with her partially paralysed son, Sakthivel, she supports her family by selling guavas, earning just INR 150 to 200 a day. “When the floods hit, we were stuck in our homes. Sakthivel and I were waiting for the water to recede. But, after a point we decided to leave.” Deivakkani’s younger son stepped in to help them move to higher ground, where they stayed on the terrace of a relative’s home for nearly 10 days.
When the floodwaters finally receded, Deivakanni returned to find her home severely damaged. “I don’t know how I am going to rebuild this house. I don’t have enough money for rebuilding and it has been 5 years since we repaired our house”.
The government provided some immediate relief in the form of cash assistance, some fresh clothes and 5 kg of rice, but the financial burden of rebuilding their home was still overwhelming. Deivakanni didn’t know where to start and that is when Habitat for Humanity India stepped in, offering vital support in the form of Emergency Shelter Kits.
“It took three months to recover from the devastation of the flood. During this time, I was unable to work, falling deeper into debt. I had to spend what little money I had on basic needs like food and clothes,” Deivakanni shared.
Through Habitat for Humanity India’s Housing Disaster Resilience and Response (HDRR) programme, Emergency Shelter Kits (ESKs) were provided to 1,206 families like Deivakanni’s who were impacted by Cyclone Fengal. The kits were distributed to the families belonging to the Irular (commonly known as Irula) tribe and other marginalised communities residing in Koliyanur, Vikravandi, Thiruvennai Nallur, Kandamangalam and Kanai blocks of Villupuram district. Designed to offer immediate relief, the ESKs help families build temporary shelters or carry out basic repairs to their damaged homes, creating safe spaces until more permanent solutions can be put in place. Each kit consists of tarpaulin sheets, ropes, nails, a claw hammer, tie wire, pliers, a hoe, handle and plastic sheets. Habitat for Humanity India follows a ‘Pathways to Permanence’ approach of responding to disasters in a phased manner - beginning with immediate relief in the form of emergency shelter kits, followed by home repairs or transitional shelters and ultimately supporting families to build disaster-resilient permanent homes.
“The tarpaulin sheets and the tools in the kit helped us temporarily rebuild our house. The sheets protect us from the rain and the tools help us guide the water away from the foundation and walls,” Deivakanni shared. “We bought bricks, cement and other essentials for rebuilding our house, but we could not afford the labourers to finish the work,” she added.
Despite their relentless efforts, financial hardships continue to cloud their path to recovery. For Deivakanni and Sakthivel, the road ahead remains long, but with the continued support from supporters like you, they are holding on to the hope that one day they will rebuild their home. Donate to Habitat for Humanity India and help us build a weather resilient home for Deivakanni and Sakthivel.
