Christian aid groups respond to Orissa floods

Christian aid agencies in India are responding to the severe flooding in Orissa that has affected over 2 million people in 19 districts.

Churches Auxiliary for Social Action (CASA) and Lutheran World Service India Trust (LWSIT) are coordinating and providing immediate assistance to thousands of people whose livelihoods, homes, and belongings have been destroyed or severely damaged by the floodwaters.

CASA - a member of Action by Churches Together Alliance (ACT) - has already started a feeding programme and will also provide family relief kits to 500 families as an initial response using its own resources.

Rapid assessment teams will be deployed within the next few days to assess the extent of the damage and what is most needed.

The week-long floods, triggered by heavy rains and the release of huge quantity of water from Hirakud reservoir, have caused damage to over 22,000 houses in 4,100 villages.

The state's disaster management officials said at least 32 have died and dozens others were missing as a result of the flood. The districts worst hit include Jagatsingpur, Kendrapada, Puri, Boudh, Subarnapur, Cuttack and Nayagarh.

ACT Alliance member Lutheran World Service India Trust is operational in some of the flood affected districts and has been constantly monitoring the situation.

"Community Based Disaster Management Teams (DMT) have been taking proactive measures right from the beginning by providing a warning system following forecasts from the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) and Water Resource Department," ACT said.

Some of the communities had previously received training from LWSIT on disaster risk reduction, which is now being tested.

The state relief and rescue teams have evacuated nearly 200,000 people from the low-lying areas. The floods reportedly destroyed roads and bridges, significantly limiting access to affected areas.

In neighbouring Pakistan, meanwhile, prolonged rains have wreaked havoc with the lives of millions of people, just a year after the country's worst ever floods that killed an estimated 1000 people.

The catastrophe, according to the UN, has killed more than 340 people and affected 6 million people.

Barnabas Fund has warned that Christians were particularly vulnerable because they already live in poverty and are often overlooked in the distribution of aid.

The Christian aid agency has launched an emergency appeal to provide food, clean water and hygiene products to Pakistani Christians caught up in the floods.

It has already sent grants to partners in the worst-affected areas to provide immediate aid to more than 800 families.