Ockhi Cyclone Dec-2017 Report English

Role of the Member of Parliament
The Member of Parliament of Kanyakumari constituency and the Union Minister of
State, Ministry of Road Transport and Highways and Ministry of Shipping, Mr. Pon
Radhakrishnan, till date, has not visited all the affected coastal villages in
Kanyakumari, despite huge protests and by the community. On December 8, 2017, a
day after the protest against the government, news reports stated that Mr. Pon
Radhakrishnan had visited his constituency to attend the inauguration of a store but
failed to visit any of the affected coastal villages. On December 2, 2017, the Member
of Parliament, left for Iran to attend the opening ceremony of a port right after the
cyclone hit the district. All this has led to much resentment and frustration among the
people in the coastal as well as the interior villages.
Impact on Society
Several families remain completely devastated as they have lost their sole
breadwinners to Cyclone Ockhi. There are incidents of two or more persons from the
same family who have lost their lives.
In the Vallavilai fishing village, five children below the age of 5, seven children
between the age of 6 to 10, six children between the age of 11 to 14, seven children
between the age of 15 to 18 have lost their fathers to Cyclone Ockhi. The same
village has also lost twelve young men between the age group of 18 to 25.
(Annexure 45 - Analysis of status of women and children from Chinnathurai
village whose husbands and fathers are missing)
A few women from the Vallavillai fishing village even complained that their children,
who are receiving their higher education are being discriminated based on their
background.
Cyclone Ockhi has left several women widowed. In Vallavillai fishing village alone,
21 women have lost their husbands and out of them 11 women are below the age of
thirty.
“As the aspect of remarriage is not prevalent among the fishing community, the
future of these women is worrying” said Fr. Darwin, the parish priest of the village.
The sloppy and misguided search and rescue operations has created a deep distrust
towards the government. The psychological trauma is evident and it is apparent that
the community is in serious need of professional help, cared and counselling.
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