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Emergency Response

Swift response to disasters, sustained recovery support, and building community resilience for the future

About This Pillar

When everyday access to food, wages, and market systems are destroyed in the wake of emergencies, Rise Against Hunger India works directly as well as through its field teams and network of grassroots partners to address these needs. We strive to ensure aid is efficiently and effectively deployed to communities when it is needed most.

Our approach goes beyond immediate relief. We respond to disasters with food kits, essential supplies, and nutritional support — and stay through the recovery and rehabilitation phases, helping families restore their livelihoods. In our field communities, we take preparedness steps — mapping risks and hazards, identifying coping mechanisms, and training community members to handle crises on their own.

With climate change increasing the frequency and intensity of disasters, this pillar is more critical than ever. Through our Center for Climate Response and Resilience (C2R2) in Bhubaneswar, we integrate climate adaptation into emergency preparedness — building community-managed safety nets, savings, insurance, and social protection so that families are well-prepared to deal with eventualities.

Preparedness & Resilience Building

Since 2023, we have been building community preparedness and resilience in our field areas — moving from reactive response to proactive prevention.

Community Risk & Hazard Mapping

Around 30 villages across Odisha and Chhattisgarh have completed disaster risk, vulnerability, and hazard mapping — identifying threats and taking community-led preparedness actions.

Climate Resilience Infrastructure

70 water conservation ponds constructed, reforestation drives through plantation, and check systems built to prevent water runoff and mudslides — strengthening communities against climate shocks.

BRIGHT — Building Resilient Indigenous and Rural Communities for Generational Hunger-Free Tomorrow

A new initiative launched to prepare households in program villages across 9 districts — building household-level resilience through training, awareness, and community action planning.

Major Responses

A decade of emergency response across India

6.9M meals2020-21

COVID-19 Pandemic Relief

93 Districts Nationwide

Our largest emergency response — 6.9 million meals distributed through 130+ partners, 30,000+ family food kits, 1 million cooked meals for essential service providers, health supplies to 9 community health centers, and vaccination support.

500,000+ people2015 to date

Multi-State Flood Relief

Assam, Bihar, Maharashtra, MP, Karnataka, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, AP, UP, Punjab & more

Ongoing relief across 11+ states with meals and family support kits reaching over 500,000 flood-affected people — one of our most geographically expansive and sustained response efforts.

431,000 meals2018-19

Kerala Floods

Kuttanadu, Kerala

431,000 meals distributed to 2,000 fishing communities. Emergency medicines provided across 10 villages, a water plant installed serving 2,500 families, and in-kind livelihood support with fishing tools, nets, and gear.

7,011 individuals2024

Reclaim Wayanad — Landslide Recovery

Wayanad, Kerala

Multi-layered recovery for 7,011 individuals — 199 family support kits, 200 food kits, 417 households received fortified meals, 105 nutrition gardens established, 25 families received livelihood tools, and 134 employed through Cash for Work.

125,000+ people2016-17

Drought Relief, Odisha

Balangir & Bargarh Districts, 120 villages

125 Jal Chhatra (water counters) set up providing chlorination and glucose support to over 125,000 people. 60 water points renovated or dug for animals, health camps and heatstroke management across all 120 villages.

250,000 meals2016

Tamil Nadu Floods

Chennai & Cuddalore District

Our first major emergency response — 250,000 meals, cooked meals for 11,000 people in Chennai, and dry rations, health camps, medicine and water for 4,980 people across 18 marooned villages in Cuddalore.

Other Emergency Responses

Cyclone FANI, Odisha — 54,000 meals, 500 families (2019)
Cyclone AMPHAN, Sundarbans, West Bengal — Food and water in 5 villages (2019)
Cyclone YAAS — Water filtration plant for 300 households
Manipur Conflict — 1,000 family kits through local partners (2022-23)
Mumbai Slum Fire Relief (2023)
Jala Chhatra — 30-40 temporary water counters installed every summer across our field areas, serving thousands during extreme heat
Multiple local emergency responses across Delhi, UP, and other states

Impact by Numbers

8M+

Meals Distributed in Emergencies

500,000+

People Reached

15+

Major Emergency Responses Since 2016

93

Districts Covered During COVID Relief

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Your contribution helps communities prepare for, respond to, and recover from disasters

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