Amma’s compassion and concern for disaster survivors is so complete that she responds to every aspect of their situation-not only fulfilling their material and emotional needs, but also keeping an eye on their future.
Disaster
Resilience
Through a blend of applied research driven by a strong social conscience to address the complex challenges of pre-disaster, disaster, and post-disaster scenarios, Amma has unravelled novel pathways in disaster risk reduction and management.
Spent in Disaster Relief since 2004
Disaster Relief Efforts in Last Decade
The world should know that a life inspired by love and service to humanity is possible
– Sri Mata Amritanandamayi Devi
The 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami
The relief and rehabilitation work conducted by Amma in the wake of the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami stands today as one of the most multi-faceted, comprehensive and sustained disaster-relief projects ever undertaken by a non-governmental …
Bihar Floods 2004
A total of INR 5Crores in medical aid, food, supplies and shelter was provided. As soon as Amma learnt about the situation in Bihar, She quickly sent several teams including doctors and nurses for immediate medical relief with 500 sets of clothing…
Uttarakhand Floods 2003
Overall, Amma provided aid worth INR 50 Crores for relief and rehabilitation programs. Amma provided immediate relief and rescue by sending a team of nurses, paramedical staff, two emergency ambulances including a telemedicine unit.
Gujarat Earthquake
Amma sent doctors, ambulances and other volunteers to the affected region to provide immediate medical relief. Volunteers built shelters and cleaned up the carnage. Amma adopted 3 villages and constructed 1200 earthquake proof houses.
Gujarat Earthquake
Uttarakhand Floods
Bihar Floods
Indian Ocean Tsunami
Disaster
Resilience
In the aftermath of natural disasters, Amma has launched various programs over the years to empower communities and promote sustainability and resilience.
Deeply affected by the plight of women and families caught in the throes of natural disasters, poverty, and illiteracy, Amma launched AmritaSREE program in the wake of 2004 Tsunami to sustain families by giving them emotional support and financial independance.
13500+ SHGs formed
2,00,000+ Participants
Tsunami Ready program, launched in collaboration with INCOIS in June 2022, enhances tsunami preparedness and community resilience. This initiative, initiated by the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) of UNESCO, aims to actively involve the public, community leaders, as well as national and local emergency management agencies in promoting tsunami preparedness.
What was initially conceived as a research project to develop the prototype for the world’s first Wireless Sensor Network (WSN) system for landslide detection and early warning later became pivotal in saving lives in landslide-prone areas, thanks to the compassionate support of Our Chancellor, Sri Mata Amritanandamayi Devi, Amma.
Innovative technologies empower communities by enhancing disaster preparedness, improving healthcare access, and promoting sustainable practices. From early warning systems to telemedicine, these tools build resilience, ensure safety, and foster long-term sustainability in vulnerable regions.
As Amma’s ashram is headquartered in the fishing village surrounding the Arabian sea, Amma has personally seen and experienced the hardships faced by the fishing community since a young age.
In 2018, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham launched a 24X7 Compassionate Kerala Call Centre for flood relief. Over 400 students and staff worked round-the-clock, fielding 25,000 calls in five days, aiding 100,000+ victims.
Occurrences of extreme events, particularly floods, have become more frequent and severe recently due to the global impacts of climate change. A dependable hydrological modeling framework has been devised for the Beas and Sunkoshi Rivers in the Indian Himalayan region to predict floods up to 7 days in advance and establish a flood early warning system (flood EWS) to mitigate the impacts of flood events and enhance preparedness for extreme flood occurrences.
A highly portable, compact, and wearable health monitoring device has been developed for rapid deployment in healthcare facilities and utilization by on-the-ground immediate healthcare providers during disasters. These wearable devices can swiftly monitor ECG, heart rate, respiratory rate, blood oxygen, blood pressure, and glucose levels of patients within minutes.
The project aims to enhance short-term skill training programs for long-term benefits by strengthening institutions, improving market connectivity, and promoting the inclusion of marginalized sections of society. SANKALP is being implemented to ensure efficiency and governance in skill development.
EMBRACE OF COMPASSION – Indian Ocean Tsunami 2004 Swift Transformation & Community Resilience
This book covers the author’s experience having survived the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami. It also collates personal experiences from other survivors, volunteers, medical experts, and government authorities. In order to showcase the immense impact of the Tsunami and the compassion-driven disaster management concepts implemented, the author was fortunate to interview Sri Mata Amritanandamayi Devi (Amma), who spear-headed disaster manage-ment in multiple states in India as well as other countries affected by the 2004 Tsunami. Amma, her organization, the Mata Amritanandamayi Math (MAM), and the volunteers helped the survivors step-by-step with meticulous detail, ensuring everyone’s well-being. At the same time, she provided insightful guidance on parallel tasks which were executed at amazing speed. There are also examples of how Amma’s planning and execution were neither linear nor uni-dimensional; instead, the required work was multi-dimensional and simultaneous in order to transform the villagers and the community to become much more resilient than before the Tsunami.
Amrita Won the World Center of Excellence Award
ADA Award
Director of Amrita WNA, Dr. Maneesha V. Ramesh, receiving the NABARD Award for Rural Innivations from then Minister of Finance Sri P. Chithambaram
Awarded World Center of Excellence on Landslide Disaster Reduction by the International Program on Landslide (IPL): 2017:2020:2023:2026
