With wind speeds of more than 200 km/h, Cyclone Fani reached Puri on India’s east coast on Friday, 3 May 2019. Large parts of the infrastructure were destroyed or flooded. The fishing village of Penthakata, near Puri—where Usthi operates a school—was also severely affected. Countless families lost their homes and sources of income, and urgent assistance was needed until government aid reached the village. Part of the Usthi school grounds was also damaged. The windows and a large part of the schoolbooks and computer equipment were completely destroyed.
Fortunately, the classroom walls proved to be very solid, allowing the buildings to serve as emergency shelters for affected families during the cyclone. Fortunately, the classroom walls proved to be very solid, allowing the buildings to serve as emergency shelters for affected families during the cyclone. Until mid-May, around 600 people were provided with hot meals every day. Clothing was also distributed where needed, in addition to food and construction supplies.
After the most urgent clean-up work, classes resumed on 17 June 2019. This also ensured that children continued to receive a hot meal every day. Once government aid reached the village and school operations were back on track, emergency relief efforts in Penthakata were concluded at the beginning of July 2019.