Sikh bodies extend help to victims of hurricane in US

HOUSTON: At a time when Hurricane Harvey has caused widespread destruction in Texas, USA, Indian-Americans are helping locals by providing relief materials and cleaning up the mess caused by the storm.

Nearly two weeks after Harvey made landfall in Texas, mounds of garbage, sheet-rock clusters, computer monitors and furniture still cover the sidewalks.

The Sikh National Centre has received trucks of supplies for distribution from across the country from other Sikh communities, as far away as Yuba City, California.

In addition to providing cleaning supplies, toiletries, drinking water, shelf food and pet food, the Sikh community has put in long hours to prepare meals to be distributed to the displaced families.

Prithvipal Singh Likhari, of Gurdwara Saheb of South West Houston, offered up to “USD 25,000 in matching funds for all donations made to the hurricane relief fund”.

“I think the real winner, the silver lining in these storm clouds, is the human spirit. It’s unfortunate that it takes a disaster to bring us all together. However, it is refreshing to know that the spirit of love and compassion is alive in us,” said Mary, a Sugarland resident whose house was damaged completely.

Besides Sikh National Centre, there other organisations are also engaged in the relief work.

“Over the past two weeks, volunteers have already put in 23,100 hours of work towards various relief and rehabilitation projects. We have also raised over USD 300,000 and the target is 1 million,” Gitesh Desai, president of Sewa International in Houston, said.

“We plan to support rebuilding efforts of homes that need to be fixed through a public-private partnership with the US government agencies and many of the Indian-American entrepreneurs in Houston,” he said.

As families start to move back into the houses, more than 800 volunteers of different Indian non-profit groups, coordinated by Sewa International, are helping people clean up the mess that catastrophic floods have left behind.

Indian restaurants have also opened up their kitchens to provide hot meals at various shelters.

Houston Sikh community is delivering many trucks of supplies to victims, says FB post by the local Sikh National Center Gurdwara. ‘Thanks to all USA and Canada Sikh sangat (masses) who are sending all these supplies,’ says the post.