Christians continue to aid flood-ravaged states

Christian groups continue to serve in flood-ravaged states of Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh where hundreds have been killed and millions displaced.

According to the All India Christian Council (aicc), the situation is devastating especially in interior areas where even vehicles could not pass.

An aicc team left to Jolapuram, one of the interior villages, to distribute meal packets among children and women. There are over 10,000 people living in the area.

The team also distributed blankets and clothes among the affected families in Kurnool. It also will be visiting Shariffnagar and Panchalingalu shortly for supply of relief material among the victims.

In the aftermath of the massive flooding, India Partners, a Christian development and relief organization committed to supporting self-help ministry projects in India, opened a "relief fund so their indigenous partner agencies can purchase food, blankets, clean water, clothing, and medicines; and transport and distribute the aid to survivors."

The US group, as of October 8, raised $55,000 of the initial goal of $100,000. It has four local long-term partner agencies it will be working with to provide the relief, that include Orphans Faith Home and EFICOR.

According to official reports, the heavy rains in both the states have left at least 300 people dead and 1.5 million homeless. More than a million people are now living in temporary relief camps.

The Prime Minister has announced to release an assistance of Rs 1,000 crore immediately for the relief works in Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka respectively.

More than 1,600 people have died across 19 of India's 28 states during the monsoon rains this year, according to the disaster management division of the federal Home Ministry.

Meanwhile, an international NGO Save the Children estimates that around 750,000 children are in desperate need of clean water, medical care and food in the flood-hit districts.

"Thirteen percent of all under-five children in Andhra Pradesh are already acutely malnourished. The high levels of acute malnutrition in this region mean that children are far more likely to die of diarrhoea and acute respiratory disease - the biggest killers of children in India," Thomas Chandy, CEO of Save the Children, said.

"Children are most vulnerable in any emergency and the floods come on top of an already dire situation. This is a crisis on top of an emergency," Chandy added.