One elderly man rode along on the first Red Cross relief distribution early last week, to the village of Kali Talavadi outside Bhuj. He joined the team to serve as a guide to the area. As the Red Cross workers walked through the piles of fallen buildings and flattened homes, he suddenly stopped. He paused for only a moment, and then continued to lead the group through the village. This man, standing in front of his destroyed home, became a volunteer for the Indian Red Cross after the earthquake.
Some volunteers tell stories of escapes and brave rescues.
Despite the widespread loss of property and possessions, many of those who survived the earthquake unharmed now want to help others. She was in her house in Bhuj when the walls began to shake. She heard her grandmother fall down in the bathroom. I was crying and yelled, 'I can't come out. Nikita couldn't reach her grandmother and fled the house.