India Floods


		Check or money orders sent to: ELCA Int'l Disaster Response Attn: India Floods PO Box 71764 Chicago, IL 60694-1764 write "India Floods" on your check's memo line. credit card by phone: 800.638.3522 or online. Credit card contributions may also be made via mail.

The Situation:

Persistent cyclonic winds over the Bay of Bengal, led to heavy rains from September 29th to October 2nd in north Karnataka and the Rayalaseema region of Andhra Pradesh, causing flash floods affecting nearly 2.5 million people and claiming more than 250 lives. North Karnataka is a drought-prone area which has not experienced rain of this quantity in over 60 years. Dams, unable to hold the waters, discharged waters covering communities and crops. The fear is not just for their immediate safety, but long-term livelihoods as millions of acres of farmland went underwater. Thousands of relief camps have been established to respond to the need, but with extensive damage to transportation infrastructure material aid is slow to respond.

Madaleen Helmer, head of the Red Cross Red Crescent Climate Change Centre, attributes this disaster to climate change. “The problem with humanitarian aid agencies like ours is, what do you prepare for,” Helmer said during an interview, “when after extreme drought, you have extreme floods? Climate change is telling us we have to prepare for both, that we are in an age of more uncertainty." Similar situations are unfolding in eastern Africa.

ELCA Response:

ELCA International Disaster Response is actively communicating with companions in the region to assess the situation and needed aid to complement the efforts by national authorities and first responders such as the Red Cross. Every year, thousands of people die during the seasonal monsoon rains in India and the ELCA stands ready to respond. Please return to this page for updates on the situation and ELCA response.

What you can do:

Pray:

Please pray for the people of India as the worst flooding in decades hits. Include these prayers in your personal time of devotion and in your Congregation Prayers.

Study and Share:

In addition to what you find in the media, look at the following.
   ACT International
     CNN
   Reuters
     Red Cross
     ABC News International
     ReliefWeb

Return here periodically for updates.

Give:

Information on giving is provided in the box on the right “How You Can Help.” Your gift will be used in full to bring life sustaining support to this crisis. Thank you for your prayerful consideration. Funding is vitally needed at this time.

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Photo: CASA/ACT International