Salvation Army issues urgent appeal in response to flooding in Bangladesh

July 29, 2004 – Salvation Army personnel in flood-ravaged Bangladesh who have already come to the aid of thousands of victims are bracing themselves to help thousands more, as local forecasts predict that the flooding which has devastated the country will continue through August.

Torrential rains during the worst monsoon season in recent memory have combined with melting snow from the Himalayas to flood two-thirds of the country. With more than 23 million people already affected and two million acres of crops destroyed, next week’s high tides will prevent the flood waters from passing on out to the sea, making a bad situation even worse.

Local fresh water supplies are being polluted as sewerage systems collapse. 'Black' or contaminated water is swept down the streets and into the homes of millions of families, bringing in its wake diarrhea and other waterborne diseases. Some pumping stations have been inundated, and electricity has been cut off to some areas because power stations have been submerged.

In the midst of this immense disaster are numerous personal tragedies, as people witness homes, businesses and lives washed away by the rising waters. One press report tells of a couple who awoke to find that not only had their house been flooded, but that their baby had also drowned.

While the situation in the region continues to worsen by the hour, Salvation Army relief teams are already hard at work. In the Bhairab area, three teams of Salvation Army workers have been venturing out in boats to take relief supplies to families affected by the disaster. Workers have distributed food rations and other emergency aid to people who had been stranded near the river for more than three weeks. 'This is the first relief aid that’s made it through to these dear people,' reports Lieut-Colonel Ethne Flintoff, the officer in charge of The Salvation Army's work in Bangladesh.

The Salvation Army is asking for your help urgently. Lieut-Colonel Ethne Flintoff reports that the situation in the Dhaka region will become critical shortly, and that funds are desperately needed.