The Salvation Army agrees to long-term assistance for flood victims in western India

Flood victims line up to receive Salvation Army assistance

While the world’s attention has been focused on the response to Hurricane Katrina in the United States, The Salvation Army continues to respond, in addition, to natural disasters around the world. In July, a super-sized cyclonic storm brought extraordinarily heavy monsoon rains and massive flooding to a large area of western India. More than 2,100 people lost their lives and thousands of homes were destroyed.

In one 18-hour period a world record 944 mm (37 inches) of rain fell on Mumbai, leaving much of the city of nearly 18 million inhabitants under water. Several feet of water covered the international airport and the nearby slums were submerged under nearly four metres of floodwaters.

In the neighbouring state of Gujarat, more than 600 villages were isolated by rising flood waters and thousands of homes were lost.

The Salvation Army responded immediately by providing food (rice, daal and oil) to more than 7,000 families in Mumbai and Gujarat. Teams of Salvation Army disaster workers loaded large trucks with food and distributed aid direct to affected families.

Now, following an assessment visit by a consultant from The Salvation Army’s International Emergency Services office in London, a commitment has been made to further assist in the recovery by providing replacement home furnishings to 2,000 families in the slum areas of Mumbai. In Gujarat, the Salvation Army will participate in the rebuilding of 400 rural homes. This commitment of an additional US$260,000 is made possible by the generosity of Salvation Army units in the United States.