In 2001 and 2003, Odisha experienced severe floods due to unusually heavy rains, affecting numerous districts. The floods caused extensive damage to property, destruction of crops, loss of livestock, and a deterioration of health conditions due to waterborne diseases. Many villages were cut off from major cities, exacerbating the crisis.

CYSD responded swiftly to this critical situation by mobilizing hundreds of volunteers and resources for relief and restoration activities. The following measures were immediately planned and implemented:

• The disaster mitigation team collaborated with volunteers to coordinate efforts.
• Volunteers were deployed in affected areas for rescue operations, relief distribution, and restoration activities.
• Boats were deployed to facilitate rescue operations.
• Community kitchens were set up to provide cooked food to flood victims.
• Dry food items were distributed to those in need.
• Health, veterinary care, and sanitation camps were organized to address immediate needs.
• CYSD and the Odisha Disaster Mitigation Mission jointly released a flood bulletin to raise awareness among various stakeholders.
• The "Restoring Normalcy (Grama Uddhar Abhiyan)" initiative was launched to create temporary employment opportunities for the affected population.

On October 29, 1999, a Super Cyclonic Storm struck Odisha, making landfall near Paradip. With estimated maximum wind speeds of 260-270 kmph in the core area, the cyclone generated a massive storm surge that elevated sea levels by more than 20 feet, resulting in the tragic loss of nearly 10,000 lives. The storm was accompanied by exceptionally heavy rains, leading to devastating floods and isolating the state from the rest of the country.

The extent and severity of the destruction caused by the cyclone were unprecedented:

• Approximately 10,000 people lost their lives.
• 19 million people across 18,000 villages in 14 districts were affected.
• Millions were left homeless, with 750,000 houses completely destroyed and 1.12 million more damaged.
• Half a million animals and 1 million poultry were killed.
• 1 million hectares of standing winter crops and other horticultural crops were destroyed.
• 90 million trees were felled, destroying 95,000 hectares of forest cover, including 18,000 hectares of coastal belt plantations, 30,000 hectares of cashew plantations, and 4.5 million coconut trees.
• 14,000 water sources were damaged, including 6,000 irrigation points and 8,000 tanks and water harvesting structures.
• Surface communications, telecommunications, and power supplies suffered extensive damage, with thousands of miles of power lines destroyed, leaving one-third of the state without power for over a month.
• 52,000 kilometers of roads and 12,000 bridges were destroyed.
• Healthcare facilities were either destroyed or damaged.

The cyclone severely disrupted the livelihoods of people living in the affected areas, primarily marginal farmers:

• Loss of crops and livestock devastated farmers and destroyed their livelihoods.
• An estimated 18,400 fishing and 21,700 weaving families lost their means of income.
• Betel vines worth millions of rupees were damaged, affecting hundreds of families.
• Wage laborers faced severe setbacks in all sectors of the rural economy, resulting in limited employment opportunities.

Immediate Response

As soon as the cyclone's fury abated, CYSD began relief and rescue work in both urban and rural areas. They also facilitated a collaborative civil society response, leading to the formation of the Orissa Disaster Mitigation Mission (ODMM), an alliance of NGOs.

Relief to Urban Slums

• Providing food relief through the establishment of the first community kitchen in the slums.
• Assisting people in salvaging materials from the debris to rebuild their homes and distributing polythene sheets to support this effort.
• Facilitating the formation of volunteer groups to clean water sources and drainage lines, distribute halogen tablets with instructions for use, and burn carcasses.
• Organizing mobile health teams, which treated 11,354 people.
• Encouraging volunteers and community members to work together.

This comprehensive response aimed to address immediate needs while laying the groundwork for long-term recovery and resilience.

Relief and Rescue in Rural Areas

In rural areas, CYSD operated from 19 nodal points to carry out relief and rescue work in 411 affected villages across six districts.

Food Relief

Community kitchens were established in 335 villages, providing food relief to 162,942 people.

Salvage and Retrieval Work

Efforts included clearing and cleaning roads and water bodies, removing corpses and carcasses, retrieving school structures and individual houses, and repairing small bridges. These activities improved sanitation and made villages accessible.

Health

The cyclone brought fears of an epidemic, such as cholera, due to the non-availability of drinking water, prolonged exposure to wind and rain, and lack of food and shelter. Severe colds, coughs, fevers, and gastroenteric disorders were reported in most villages. CYSD facilitated the formation of health teams that conducted health check-ups at mobile health camps and nodal dispensaries. A total of 25,062 patients were treated, including 5,000 children under five.

Shelter

Temporary shelter materials were distributed to needy families. Food support for shelter renovation was provided under the Food for Work (FFW) program, resulting in the construction of 1,647 thatched houses for the most destitute.

Education

The cyclone threatened school children with permanent disorientation due to hunger, homelessness, and loss of their everyday life. With schools destroyed, books lost, and parents focused on finding relief, children had nowhere to go. CYSD responded quickly by:

• Reviving schools by erecting makeshift shades and structures under the FFW program, restarting 49 schools within weeks of the cyclone.
• Providing midday meals for about a week in 45 primary and high schools, until the government resumed the Mid Day Meal (MDM) scheme.
• Forming Book Banks in 246 schools, with 10 sets of books provided for each class.
• Distributing examination guides and test papers in view of the loss of study days and holding special coaching classes in 19 villages.
• Supplying learning materials to existing Non-Formal Education Centres (NFECs) and helping women's groups establish 16 new NFECs.

Restoration and Rehabilitation

Once immediate response and relief efforts concluded, CYSD shifted focus to long-term restoration and rehabilitation. The population in the cyclone-affected areas faced a bleak future and were threatened with endemic food insecurity. Restoring livelihoods was of paramount importance, with agricultural regeneration given top priority.

Relief and Restoration

• Repairing Agricultural Infrastructure: The Food for Work (FFW) program was implemented to repair agricultural infrastructure.
• Relief and Rescue Operations: Carried out in 411 villages and 13 urban slums.
• Community Kitchens: 366 community kitchens operated in 305 villages and 13 urban slums, benefiting 47,506 households (229,992 people).
• Health Check-ups: Conducted in 411 villages and 13 urban slums, with 90 health camps organized and 25,062 patients treated.
• Educational Support: Built 49 makeshift school structures and provided educational materials to 246 schools.
• Employment Creation: Created 139,155 person-days of work through the Food for Work program.

Agriculture Regeneration Programme

• Kitchen Gardens and Crop Cultivation: Established kitchen gardens and facilitated summer and monsoon crop cultivation in 144 villages, benefiting 6,000 farming households.

In 2006, Odisha experienced severe flooding that affected 12 districts and resulted in the loss of 22 lives. Kendrapara was the hardest-hit district, with 498,854 people affected across 612 villages. Sustained waterlogging posed a serious threat of an epidemic due to the lack of access to basic health services and safe drinking water. Livestock were stranded with little or no access to water, fodder, and veterinary medicines.

CYSD, in collaboration with the National Service Scheme (NSS) of Utkal University, conducted relief operations in 62 villages across four blocks of Kendrapara district. Four powerboats were deployed, and local volunteers undertook rescue operations and delivered relief materials to the affected and marooned villages.

Odisha has consistently faced various disasters. In addition to natural calamities such as floods and cyclones, the state also suffers from persistent droughts affecting its interior regions. In 2008, severe floods impacted 6,481 villages across 137 blocks in 19 districts. As part of the rescue operation, CYSD deployed boats in underserved areas and organized health camps in the coastal districts of Puri, Kendrapara, and Jagatsinghpur, benefiting 3,090 individuals, including 1,055 women and 654 children.

The disaster response and mitigation unit undertook the following activities:

• Maintaining essential equipment such as boats, life jackets, and rescue gear.
• Keeping an updated database on disasters in Odisha and India.
• Monitoring the situation during disaster-prone periods.
• Facilitating response efforts when needed.

In 2019, Cyclone FANI wreaked havoc across coastal Odisha, severely impacting approximately 16 million people in about 20,000 villages spread across 159 blocks and 52 Urban Local Bodies in 14 districts. The districts of Puri and Khurda, including the capital city Bhubaneswar, suffered the greatest devastation. The cyclone caused damage to about 5 lakh houses, submerged 1.88 lakh hectares of crop area, and affected 88 lakh livestock. Tragically, there were 64 human casualties and 53 lakh livestock casualties reported. Additionally, over 7,000 educational institutions, 1,031 primary health centers, and 1.56 lakh electricity poles were damaged. Cyclone FANI also destroyed coastal forests, uprooting approximately 10 million ecologically sensitive trees and damaging numerous others.

The aftermath saw a profound struggle across the state to restore normalcy, particularly in terms of rebuilding lives and livelihoods. People from various sectors such as paddy, pulses, vegetables, nutrition gardens, fruit-bearing trees, and inland fisheries lost their sources of income. Marine fishermen suffered losses of boats and nets, while street vendors, numbering around 30,000, lost their means of livelihood. Vulnerable groups, including children, differently-abled individuals, elderly people, single women, and widows, were particularly affected due to lack of safe spaces and the overall compromised health and hygiene conditions.

CYSD responded swiftly by conducting rapid assessments in Puri and Khurda districts, along with urban slums in Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation, to assess damages and plan future actions. A pilot project using Drone and Artificial Intelligence in collaboration with India Flying Labs assessed damage in Arakhakuda village, Bramhagiri block, Puri district. CYSD reached out to 57,773 people across 26 Gram Panchayats in eight blocks and 46 slum habitations under two Municipal Corporations.

Under CYSD's leadership, Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), relief agencies, intellectuals, and media houses formed the "Civil Society Responds to FANI" forum to coordinate humanitarian efforts immediately after the cyclone. More than a hundred volunteers from various organizations were mobilized to assist in relief and restoration activities in the worst affected districts of Puri, Khurda, and Cuttack. Information, Education, and Communication (IEC) materials in Odia were developed and distributed to help affected people access government relief packages and promote massive plantation drives.

Volunteers, including 103 male and 22 female volunteers from ANTARANG of JAGRUTI, National Youth Project (NYP), National Service Scheme (NSS), Indore School of Social Work (ISSW), and interns from various educational institutions, played pivotal roles in coordinating relief efforts on the ground. Relief distributions included Survival Kits, Dignity Kits, Education Kits, and tarpaulin covers. CYSD also established Cyclone FANI Response Hubs in strategic locations to facilitate service delivery, particularly in providing clean drinking water, health and hygiene camps, and reconstruction of WASH facilities in schools.

The "Green Odisha Drive" initiative, in collaboration with the Civil Society Response to FANI forum, focused on restoring greenery post-cyclone. It involved consultations with civil society leaders and Panchayat representatives to develop a roadmap for ecosystem restoration. Additionally, CYSD constructed traditional intermediate shelters for vulnerable families and established Child-Friendly Spaces (CFS) to provide safe learning environments for children in the worst affected areas.

To support local artisans affected by the cyclone, CYSD organized skills improvement training for coconut coir and Pattachitra artisans, enabling them to produce marketable products. School renovations focused on improving sanitation and hygiene conditions, benefiting thousands of students.

Overall, CYSD's comprehensive response to Cyclone FANI addressed immediate humanitarian needs, facilitated community resilience building, and laid the groundwork for long-term recovery and rehabilitation efforts in Odisha.

In September 2020, unprecedented floods in Odisha affected 1.4 million people across 3,256 villages in 896 Gram Panchayats within 112 Blocks. Bari Block in Jajpur district suffered the most, with over 10,000 houses damaged and 75,737 hectares of farmland submerged across 13 of the 29 affected Gram Panchayats. The flood also led to contamination of water resources, posing risks of waterborne diseases and creating breeding grounds for mosquitoes.

CYSD responded by setting up Flood Relief Operation Nodes in Bari Block's Bari, Ratnagiri, and Indupur villages, managed by National Youth Project Volunteers. Relief efforts focused on distributing dry rations, conducting sanitation and disinfection drives, and organizing health check-up camps. Sanitation efforts engaged 900 local youth volunteers, cleaning village roads and disinfecting water sources using bleaching powder. Health camps, in collaboration with Humanitarian Aid International and Amrut Global Network, served around 6,050 people, providing treatment and distributing essentials like masks and sanitary napkins.

To restore livelihoods, CYSD supported 1,468 vulnerable farmers from seven Gram Panchayats with high-quality vegetable seeds, plant medicines, and startup kits. Farmers were trained in advanced cultivation methods, linked with markets, and some were integrated into government schemes like 'Mo Bagicha', enabling economic recovery within 2-3 months.

In the November 2022 flood, triggered by rising waters in the Mahanadi and Subarnarekha Rivers' tributaries, over a million people were severely affected, especially in Balasore and Puri districts. Puri district alone saw approximately 275,000 people from 380 villages across 65 gram panchayats stranded and in urgent need, particularly in Kanasa, Gop, and Nimapara Blocks. Balasore district also suffered, with 136 villages submerged, predominantly in the Baliapal block. The flood caused damage to 9,000 hectares of crops and affected over 100,000 livestock.

In response, CYSD partnered with civil society organizations like SAVE, AMURT, Sadhu Charan Charitable Trust, and ARM, as well as engaged youth platforms such as NYP and NSS. Together, they launched coordinated relief efforts in 9 gram panchayats in Puri District and 6 in Balasore District, focusing relief and recovery operations through gram panchayats.

CYSD concentrated efforts on immediate WASH campaigns, mid-term livelihood interventions, and long-term recovery support. The team provided WASH and healthcare support to 3,000 individuals, distributed dry rations to 2,000 households, and equipped 2,400 women and adolescents with hygiene kits. In supporting livelihoods, CYSD assisted 1,112 farmers in agri-allied sectors, resulting in the production of 1.3 million kilograms of vegetables valued at ₹18 million. Additionally, CYSD's social housing hub retrofitted 90 vulnerable households into climate-resilient structures.

Forest Protection/Regeneration: Tribal livelihoods rely on forests, agriculture, and wage labor. Improving forest, land, and water quality enhances community livelihoods. Efforts include sensitizing community members about the forests' importance through training programs, eco-club activities, World Environment Day observances, and Bana Mahotsav. Forest protection involves collaboration among community members, Vana Sanrakshyana Samiti (Forest Protection Committee), and the forest department.

Community ownership of forest protection and regeneration has increased. Entire villages, not just producer group members, participate in seed sowing and tree planting, including fruit-bearing trees like mango, jackfruit, tamarind, and amla. These plants provide income, food, and medicines while promoting eco-friendly communities.

Agro-Forestry: Agro-forestry is promoted on cultivable wastelands. Inter-cropping provides immediate monetary returns and supplements nutrition. Household members also earn wages through MGNREGS while preparing fields and digging pits. Mango saplings, bio-fertilizers, pesticides, pitchers, and tree guards are sourced through programs like Special Central Assistance to Tribal Sub Plan. Hill grass plantation is initiated in forest and common lands with producer groups involved. Inter-cropping (black gram, green gram, horse gram, niger, maize, ragi, and vegetables) and border cropping are also encouraged.

To promote environmentally friendly livelihoods among tribal farmers, village-level training programs have been organized for members of Farmers’ Clubs. These programs focus on creating and maintaining community water bodies, managing solid waste, practicing organic farming, and utilizing plantation techniques (such as social forestry and orchards). These efforts aim to mitigate the adverse impacts of climate change. Participants are encouraged to adopt climate-friendly livelihoods and promote water conservation systems like rainwater harvesting, check dams, organic farming, land bunding, plantation initiatives, and corner pits in agricultural lands. These practices are crucial for sustainable agriculture and optimal use of water resources.

The organization is actively promoting technical innovation and community-based adaptation measures at the grassroots level. It aims to standardize and scale up effective adaptation practices, integrating them into long-term planning at both state and national levels. Additionally, the organization is documenting traditional climate-resilient practices to advocate for their adoption as strategies for state development and poverty reduction. Furthermore, efforts are underway to enhance understanding of climate change mitigation actions, global protocols, and instruments such as REDD+ and the voluntary carbon market.

CYSD has launched initiatives in its operational districts, particularly those with significant tribal populations, to promote climate-resilient agricultural models. These initiatives include adopting the System of Rice Intensification (SRI), implementing water conservation techniques, practicing climate-resilient agriculture, promoting forest regeneration, using renewable energy, initiating carbon sequestration projects, and encouraging clean and green energy initiatives among local communities.

On October 12, 2013, a severe cyclonic storm named Phailin struck Odisha with wind speeds exceeding 220 km per hour, causing massive devastation and severe flooding across many districts. The cyclone was followed by incessant rain, resulting in floods in two phases. Ganjam and Puri were the hardest-hit districts. Official reports state that 59 people lost their lives due to the cyclone and subsequent floods, which affected half of the state's population of 4.19 crore, spanning 18 districts. The disaster destroyed standing crops over nearly 11 lakh hectares, damaged over 8 lakh houses in nearly 22,000 villages, and resulted in the loss of 2,000 livestock. Power installations worth about ₹12,000 crores were damaged, and nearly four lakh electric poles were uprooted in Ganjam district alone.

In response to this disaster, CYSD established the Odisha Phailin Response Forum (OPRF), an alliance of civil society organizations dedicated to Phailin relief efforts. In collaboration with local NGO partners, CYSD undertook several initiatives to address the immediate needs of the affected population.

Immediate Relief Support

• Distribution of non-food item kits for immediate use by the affected people.
• Provision of supplementary nutrition for children.
• Distribution of sanitary materials such as bleach, halogen tablets, phenyl, soap, etc.
• Health check-ups and free medicine distribution.
• Renovation and child-friendly enhancements to Anganwadi Centers, along with play material support.
• Sanitation drives conducted by local volunteers.

Restoration Support

• Formation of village disaster management committees to mobilize communities, identify beneficiaries, manage the distribution of non-food item kits, and facilitate village sanitation drives.
• Orientation and cleanliness activities to maintain village-level sanitation.
• Self-employment mechanics training organized for selected groups.

Rehabilitation

• Livelihood restoration through unconditional cash transfers.
• Promotion and capacity-building for Self-Help Groups, child clubs, youth clubs, farmer groups, and emergency response groups on disaster risk management.
• Training for families on adopting climate-friendly livelihoods and water conservation techniques.

Hardly had the first spike of COVID-19 pandemic been over, the second wave resurfaced with a much deadlier impact during the beginning of April 2021, not leaving anyone unimpacted. The lockdown in the entire country by the Government to control its further outbreak created an economic disorder in the lives of millions employed in the informal sector – not just the daily wagers, but also the big economy work force. This was a most terrible time as there was no availability of testing facilities, hospital beds, medicines and oxygen. Even the staff members, animators, community resource persons, citizenry leaders and their family members all got infected, fell sick, with and without hospital services with several hundred meeting with untimely unfortunate deaths.

However, CYSD in association with the other CS fraternity bravely continued the awareness generation program, while making sure to distribute food relief, protective masks, hand sanitizers, thermometers and oximeters to the frontline health workers for enabling them to continue the surveillance work effectively. Oxygen concentration equipment sets were provided to healthcare  set-ups to help them come to the rescue of patients struggling for life and death due to shortage of oxygen supply.

During the second wave of COVID, CYSD made efforts towards:

• Managing 10 Isolation Centres in10 GPs of South Odisha (Koraput, Malkanagiri and Rayagada) and North Odisha (Keonjhar and Mayurbhanj) which extended safe-isolation facility to 491 Covid patients involving Gaon Kalyan Samitis.
• 1050 Frontline workers (especially ASHAs/ANMs/AWWs)were supported with protective measures, enabling them to safely reach 22321 houses for conducting door-to-door surveillance; as many as 532 COVID cases were identified in the process, out of which 32 critical cases were referred to district hospitals.
• 1000 Care and Support Kits provided to the Mild and Moderate Covid Positive patients.
• Facilitated 20 Migration Resource Support Centres at the GP level.
• 319 empowered and protected CRPs were engaged in awareness campaign round the clock to address Covid testing reluctances and fear factors - reaching out to 2.48 lakh people in 746 villages to bring in behavioural changes among them and increase the acceptance of the vaccine. The effort resulted in 100% vaccination in majority of villages.
• Strengthened the capacity of 32 Health Care Centres by supporting 90 Oxygen Concentrators and in doing so helped 212 COVID affected people with 3263 hours of life saving oxygen support.
• Besides, the health care centres were supported with 1000 Oximeters, 600 Thermometers, 1000 Oxygen Masks.
• Built the capacity of 350 ground warriors, directly linking them with CSC, through 17 virtual sessions, and helped them to use the health-tracking equipment effectively.