Orissa is a predominantly rural state in the northeast of India. Its northern plateau slopes down to fertile green coastal plains on the Bay of Bengal. To the northeast lies the Indian state of West Bengal, and its capital, Calcutta. Across the bay lies the country of Myanmar (Burma). About one-third of Orissa is covered with forests.
Orissa state has a population of nearly 32 million people, about that of California, living in an area of just over 62,000 square miles, about the size of Washington state.
The capital, Bhubaneshwar, is known as the "Temple City of India."
Orissa's economy is largely based on agriculture, which provides 80 percent of rural employment and more than half of the state's income. One-tenth of India's rice production comes from Orissa. Other major crops include pulses, oil seeds, jute, sugarcane, turmeric and coconut.
Orissa lies in the tropics. The average rainfall is about 59 inches a year. The temperature ranges from a high of 120 degrees in the summer to a low of 41 degrees in the winter. Natural calamities such as floods, droughts, cyclones and even tornadoes are common.
CARE is providing emergency relief to more than 500,000 people in the northern coastal districts of Bhadrak, Kendrapara and Jagatsinghupur, and two inland districts north of the capital, Jajpur and Cuttack. Kendrapara and Jagatsinghpur districts were the worst affected by the second cyclone on October 29.
CARE also is assisting about 500,000 people in the coastal district of Ganjam, to the south, which took the major brunt of the first cyclone on the night of October 17.
In the longer term, CARE will support programs to help the people of Orissa rebuild their homes and re-establish their livelihoods.
Current in Orissa
CARE is focussing its efforts in Orissa on helping the poorest and most vulnerable families, who have lost almost everything in the storm, to get access to food and shelter. CARE also is distributing other items designated by the government of Orissa as priorities.
Food: CARE is distributing more than 4,000 metric tons of food to more than 1 million people in the state of Orissa.
Shelter: CARE is distributing plastic sheeting for use in building temporary shelters since many homes in the area - typically made from bamboo and thatch - were destroyed by cyclone winds exceeding 100 miles per hour.
Other Items: CARE also is distributing thousands of blankets, three metric tons of candles and more than 800 bundles of matches.
Background
CARE was involved in flood relief in West Bengal (1979) and Orissa (1992), and worked in Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, and Andhra Pradesh after a severe cyclone hit those states in 1977.
CARE helped victims of earthquakes in Latur, Maharashtra and Chamoli, Uttar Pradesh and it is still assisting families in Bihar and Madhya Pradesh affected by the recent floods in those states.
CARE's work in India began on March 6, 1950.
CARE now implements long-term development projects in nutrition, health care, small enterprise development and basic and girls' education, as well as providing emergency relief as needed.
CARE's offices in India have a staff of 475. They work in eight states: Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Orissa, Rajastan, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal. CARE also works in the neighboring countries of Bangladesh and Nepal.
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