Class 9 NCERT Solutions English Chapter 6 - Weathering The Storm In Ersama

The havoc the super cyclone wreaked in the life of the people of Orissa was that the winds beat against the houses with a speed and fury they had never witnessed before, heavy and incessant rain filled the darkness, ancient trees were uprooted and crashed to the earth, and people and houses were swiftly washed away.

A raging, deadly, brown sheet of water covered everything as far as the eye could see; only fractured cement houses still stood in a few places. Bloated animal carcasses and human corpses floated in every direction. All round even huge old trees had fallen.

Prashant, who was only nineteen years old decided to step in as the leader of his village, if no one else did. He organized a group of youths and elders to jointly pressurise the merchant to part with his rice for the people in the shelter. Branches from fallen trees were gathered to light a reluctant and slow fire, on which to cook the rice. For the first time in four days, the survivors at the cyclone shelter were able to fill their bellies.

He organised a team of youth volunteers to clean the shelter of filth, urine, vomit and floating carcasses, and to tend to the wounds and fractures of the many who had been injured.

Prashant found that a large number of children had been orphaned. He brought them together and put up a polythene sheet shelter for them. He himself loved to play cricket, and so he organised cricket matches for children.

Women were mobilized to look after the orphans, while the men secured food and materials for the shelter. When Prashant found that the women and children were sinking deeper and deeper into grief he persuaded the women to start working in the food-for-work programme started by an NGO.

He engaged, with other volunteers, in helping the widows and children to pick up the broken pieces of their lives.

The people of the community got together and began to help one another under the leadership of young Prashant. Together they pressurised the merchant to part with his rice for the people in the shelter. They gathered branches from fallen trees and lit a fire, on which they cooked rice for all to eat.

When the military helicopter dropped some food parcels but did not return, the youth task force gathered empty utensils from the shelter and made the children lie in the sand with the utensils on their stomachs to communicate to the passing helicopters that they were hungry. The message went through and the helicopter made regular rounds of the shelter, airdropping food and other basic needs.

Women were mobilized to look after the orphans, while the men secured food and materials for the shelter. Inspite of being grief sticken the women started working in the food-for-work programme started by an NGO.

The initial government plan was to set up institutions for orphans and widows. However, this step was successfully resisted, as it was felt that in such institutions, children would grow up without love, and widows would suffer from stigma and loneliness.

Prashant's group believed that orphans should be resettled in their own community itself, possibly in new foster families made up of childless widows and children without adult care.

Yes, Prashant is a good leader. Even though he was only nineteen years he took over the leadership of his village and organised all the men, women and children to work together as a community, battle all the difficulties that came their way and survive the aftermath of the super cyclone that hit their village.

Yes, I think young people like Prashant can get together to help people during natural calamities.