India Disaster Relief

Initially the casualties came from drowning victims who were caught in the rivers fierce flow.  However, hundreds of thousands of Bihari victims found themselves trapped by flood waters, cut off from safety and food supplies.  As the Indian Government and international community scrambled to respond, thousands of Biharis waited for help.  Hunger, thirst, even murder prevailed.Criminals hired boats and offered unsuspecting victims safe escort. However, the rides quickly turned to extortion when boatmen demanded unreasonable payments in the middle of the journey.  Other victims were murdered and their bodies thrown overboard, so the criminals could return for fresh victims and fresh payments.

The second wave of deaths came from hunger and thirst as flood victims waited for rescue that either came too slow or not at all. Today, three weeks later some victims have not yet been rescued, while hundreds of thousands struggle to survive in relief camps across the state.  Estimates suggest that at least 4 million people have been affected by the floods, and nearly 300,000 victims are crammed into 313 relief camps.

The third wave of deaths is beginning.  Reports over the last few days suggest that hundreds if not thousands are beginning to die from cholera and other water born diseases.  Medical services are poor and limited.  Food is scarce.  In many relief camps, shelter consists of bamboo slats draped with old clothing and scraps of plastic.  Many do not even have plastic tarps to shelter them from the rain. Some flood victims have grown so disgusted with the conditions in the relief camps they are trying to return to their villages.  But flood waters are still fierce, and some have drowned trying to reach home. Officials say it may take as long as 3 months more for all of the flood waters to recede before flood victims can return home.  Many will have nothing to return to when the waters are gone.  Their homes were destroyed.  Their animals drowned or escaped.  And scavengers have stolen any valuables left behind. The future is bleak for these flood victims.  Before the flood they were already among the poorest citizens of the global population.  Now, their future seems utterly hopeless without immediate and generous global assistance.

If you would like to donate to assist the flood victims, two websites have been established to enable immediate donations and distribution of the funds.

We have created a website called www.IndiaDisasterRelief.org to inform you about the Bihar Floods since there is so little Media attention about this horrific tragedy.  All donations from this website will go directly to New India Evangelistic Association headed by Dr. Alex Philips.  For more information about their ministry visit www.nieaonline.org .