Small Wish International- an NPO based in Guwahati- recently distributed relief materials to the flood-hit people of Baksa district in Assam.

The flood-relief drive was carried out by a four-member team of the NPO and the aid was provided to over 600 people including children.

"The visible havoc caused by the floods like loss of crops, shelter, cattle, resulted in deaths etc has created a panic among the flood-affected victims making them directly vulnerable to the spread of the invisible COVID-19," said Sheikh Arif Ahmed, CEO of Small Wish International.

"Assuming there is higher vulnerability among flood-displaced victims seeking shelter in relief camps towards COVID-19 spread, we have carried out COVID-19 basic symptoms screening," said Sheikh Prince Khalid, COO, Small Wish International.

A lady wades through the flood in Baksa

"We provided emergency medical aid starting from masks, sanitizers, fever medication, multivitamins and multi-minerals (towards boost immune system) to sanitary pads, anti-inflammatory, anti-fungal, anti-bacterial creams for hygiene to the flood-affected victims," Khalid added.

Sharing further details, the Small Wish International team said, "The ground operations took 8 hours and we first reached out to the majority of the families isolated by floods that were connected by road."

"Families had temporarily laid out bamboo bridges to connect to houses where we screened them and provided them emergency medical aid," the team said.

The team also trekked through the flooded regions under exceptional circumstances.

They reached out to families who were displaced during floods and were seeking shelter in a local school.

"When we reached the school, we saw that the families sheltered there had no social distancing," the team said.

"Moreover, none of them took any precautionary measures against COVID-19. There wasn’t much awareness as to how vulnerable they were to the infection," they added.

The Small Wish International team not just provided aid to these flood-hit people, but the team also explained the families about few must take precautionary measures against COVID-19.

A local resident, while speaking to the Small Wish International team, informed that such a disastrous flood was witnessed way back in 2004.