Hurricane Sandy – Sikhs working with other agencies in relief operation

New York,USA: Many parts of the Unite States are hit by a sandy storm and according to reports Sikh groups are working closely with the Office of Emergency Management and State VOADs to track the impact and providing relief services .

As per reports the United Sikhs and American Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee have plans to turn the Gurdwaras (Sikh place of worship) into shelters and making arrangements for providing food and water to those impacted by this devastating storm.

According to definition of Gurudwara provided in “Mahaan Kosh” (the Great Encyclopedia) providing shelter to the needy, food to the hungry, protection to the week are some of the main functions of a Sikh Gurudwara.

According to reports flash flooding and lengthy power outages are expected in may parts of US. The Hurricane has already caused massive destruction in its path and is expected to affect 60 million people. More than 100,000 people are without power across several East Coast states.

US President Barack Obama in his statement reportedly said, “We are working closely with FEMA and local and state officials .This is going to be a big and powerful storm and all across the Eastern Seaboard, I think everybody is taking the appropriate preparations.Please listen to what your state and local officials are saying. Don’t pause or question for instructions. This is a serious storm.”

United Sikhs has urged all families to be fully prepared in this category 1 hurricane and expect a loss of power, water, and potentially even shelter.

The NGO has requested the people to remain aware of the exact locations of local shelters and to make sure that emergency bags are packed ahead of time in the case there is need to evacuate the houses.

Source:www.sikhsiyasat.net