TN volunteers in Wayanad are deeply touched by the warm reception from the people of Kerala

Tamil Nadu volunteers at the Wayanad landslide site | Photo credit: Special Arrangements

At first glance, it looks like a mother, covered in dirt, but still eagerly guarding her child, surrounding him with her entire body like a shield.

However, the mother and son were already dead when they were found under the rubble of Mundakei, one of three villages destroyed in the devastating landslide in Wayanad district on July 31.

For a team of volunteers from Tamil Nadu (TN Volunteers), nothing could be more heartbreaking than their presence at the disaster site on the morning of August 1. The team, registered in 2022 and with 10,000 members, is recognized by the Tamil Nadu government and came to assist in the rescue operations.

“We are a team of 30 members, 21 of whom are trained in rescue operations and have actively participated in five different disasters in Tamil Nadu. We are divided into six groups of five people each, two of which are deployed in Mundakai, Choramala and School Road,” said Hari Krishnan N, chief coordinator of Tamil Nadu volunteers.

As they watched news coverage of the Wayanad landslide on the morning of July 30, little did they know the scale of the tragedy. As the death toll continued to rise, Tamil Nadu Volunteers decided to take action. They obtained permission from the Tamil Nadu Disaster Management Department and launched a 15-member online team to recruit volunteers. More than 100 people volunteered, but not everyone was able to sign up because specific skills were required.

“We reached Chennai Central Railway Station without an appointment and a media person, moved by our volunteerism, helped us board the train with the help of the Railway Conservation Group. As a non-donation organisation, we requested people through social media to drop relief materials at railway stations along the way to Kozhikode. When the train reached Podhanur railway station near Coimbatore around 3 am, we received around 2,000 pieces of clothing,” said Mr Hari Krishnan.

The TN Volunteer Team praised the hospitality of the people of Kerala by offering free transportation from Kozhikode to Wayanad and free stay in two resorts. They also praised the Kerala government for its efficient handling of the crisis. “Initially, it struck us as unusual that the camps and hospitals in Wayanad were only allowing doctors to access the survivors. However, we later understood that the measure was to protect the people in the camps,” he said.