WASHINGTON: Indian-Americans in Atlanta and Georgia have collected resources to help over million people from Florida who remain affected by hurricane Irma. The storm crashed across part of the US coastal State with a wind speed of over 193 km per hours. Irma made landfall on southern islands of Florida, claiming four lives as millions of people, including thousands of Indian-Americans evacuated from the state.
The region boasts of about 120,000 Indian-Americans, thousands of whom reside in the now-dangerous zones of Miami, Fort Laura deal and even Tampa. Indian Ambassador to the US Navtej Sarna rushed his New York Consul General to Atlanta to oversee the relief operation and coordinate with the local community leaders. Atlanta consulate officials, led by New York Consul General Sandeep Chakravorty, visited several evacuee shelters housing people chiefly from Tampa, Florida to ascertain their welfare and well-being.
Sewa International, with the help of local residents, has created a pool of houses where evacuees can stay till the situation improves. The American Telugu Association has also made arrangements for over 600 people in the entire Metro Atlanta Area. The Hindu Temple of Atlanta, along with other major Indian organisations, including Indian Friends of Atlanta (IFA) and Seva USA, have provided boarding and lodging facilities for over 100 people.
Officials from the Indian Embassy in Washington, and from the Consulate in Atlanta have been maintaining steady contact with Florida residents. “More than 400 homes in Orlando are ready to provide shelter to those evacuating,” the Indian Consulate in Atlanta said in a tweet.
A state of emergency has been declared in Florida and curfews have been imposed in several cities as Irma left behind a trail of destruction. US President Donald Trump held yet another review meeting with his Cabinet of the preparedness and relief operations at Camp David. Addressing reporters, he said, “I hope there aren't too many people in the path. You don't want to be in that path. That's a path you don't want to be in. We tried to warn everybody. For the most part, they've left, but that's a bad path to be in.”
He is set to visit Florida soon. “I think it's been going really well. It's a rough hurricane, as you better than anybody. The Coast Guard has been amazing already. You've been hearing what theyr'e doing right in the middle of the storm.”
38 killed in Caribbean:
The hurricane cut a swathe of deadly destruction as it roared through the Caribbean, claiming at least 38 lives and turning the tropical islands of Barbuda and St Martin into mountains of rubble. St Martin suffered the full fury of the storm. With some 95 per cent of homes destroyed on the French side of the island - the other half belongs to The Netherlands - a delegation of troops, rescuers and medics arrived from France to help with rescue efforts.
