Orissa: Christians continue supporting flood affected people

Last month, more than 800,000 were left homeless and unemployed due to the fresh monsoon rains that lashed the country, especially the Northern and Eastern part, reported Government officials.

Christian relief organizations are full fledged serving the flood hit areas by continuously providing temporary shelters, medicine, food and health care. Some of them have even opened Counseling cells, for providing spiritual comfort and encouragement to the affected.

Caroline Brennan, South Asia regional information officer for Catholic Relief Services (CRS), which was founded in 1943 by the Catholic Bishops of the United States, told AsiaNews that “hundreds of houses have been reported destroyed and thousands of families have sought refuge in emergency shelters established by CRS partners.”

According to Brennan, shelter, water and sanitation remain urgent problems if outbreaks of diseases are to be prevented.

Too often, “the brunt of the flooding falls on poor and marginalised communities. These are just the people who lack the influence and money to recover from natural disasters,” she said.

CRS also mentioned the implementation of disaster–preparedness programmes in crises–prone areas, so the people can survive and stand by their own after the emergency period.

A local parish in Orissa, Balasore Social Service Society, was able to accommodate 500 families rendered homeless due to the last month flooding in Orissa.

Caritas India, a national organisation of CBCI for social concern and development and a partner of CRS, reported of immediately responding by providing accommodation to 2,400 families, in the region.

Special Relief Commissioner, Nikunja Sunderay, said the efforts are being made to control the damage caused by the floods.

"A lot of damages have occurred, and the Orissa Disaster Rapid Action Force have swung into action in all these districts and a number of lives were saved," he said.

At least 23 deaths have been reported from 10 districts across Orissa. According to officials, about half a million people in 610 villages are still marooned and over one million in 2,167 villages are badly affected.