July 19 2004
Flood disaster hits Bangladesh and India
19/07/2004 - Hundreds of people have already been killed in floodwaters caused by heavy monsoon rains in parts of India and Bangladesh, millions of people have lost their homes. SOS Children's Village facilities in the afflicted areas have not been hit yet, first emergency relief campaigns are underway.
The situation has deteriorated during the past hours in the flooded areas in central and southern Bangladesh and has not changed much in the north and the east. Some four million people have lost all their belongings in the worst flood disaster to hit Bangladesh since 1988. Contaminated water in flooded areas helps spread disease, hundreds of thousands of people suffer from lack of food and pure drinking water.
The five SOS Children's Villages have not been affected so far, children, mothers and co-workers are safe. SOS Children's Village Bogra is going to start distributing emergency relief packages to flood victims from the neighbourhood. SOS Children's Village Dhaka also plans to distribute aid to the victims should the flood situation aggravate in Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh.
SOS Children's Village facilities in the north-east of India have also not been struck by flooding yet. However, dozens of people have already been killed in the flood disaster in the Indian province of Assam, where flood water had a devastating effect on farmland and infrastructure (roads, bridges and other facilities).
SOS Children's Villages India supports other NGOs and local authorities in co-ordinating the relief effort to help the victims. SOS Children's Villages India could immediately provide temporary shelter to flood victims should the demand arise.