SMRC situated in Bhubaneswar Orissa has been campaigning fro the Rights of Disabled in Disaster Preparedness and Management and since 1999.
In 1999 a cyclone of an intense magnitude hit the coast of Orissa in India. The response to the ‘super cyclone’ did not include the disabled, though SMRC as member of the UN and State Coordination Committee tried that disabled be included in policy and implementation. As there was complete chaos disability was an issue far from policy makers, implementers and donor’s views.
Despite SMRC’s campaign the response was simply not there. SMRC with financial assistance of Cord Aid and later Action Aid started to provide relief and rehabilitation to the disabled affected by the cyclone. It resettled about 3000 persons with disabilities in the process in the area of Jagatsingpur which was affected the most.
