Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has granted USD 500,000 (around Rs 3 crore) to humanitarian aid organisation CARE for addressing the most pressing needs resulting from cyclone Hudhud in Andhra Pradesh.
The grant will enable CARE to meet the immediate emergency needs of the most vulnerable communities affected by the cyclone, while planning for longer term recovery, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation said in a statement.
CARE will use the grant to procure and distribute non- food items to 1,100 households, in addition to conducting detailed assessment of shelter, water, sanitation and hygiene needs in the three worst affected districts of Visakhapatnam, Vizianagaram and Srikakulam then provide support accordingly, it added.
Commenting on the development, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation India Country Office Director Girindre Beeharry said: "As with many natural disasters, the effects are most keenly felt by those who are least financially secure, in particular those whose livelihoods depend on the land."
According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA), tropical cyclone Hudhud affected at least 920,000 people, the statement said.
