Monsoon "Catastrophe" Strands 1M In India

Floods Thwart Officials From Getting Aid To Victims In Northern Indian State

(AP)  Authorities struggled Monday to get aid to more than 1 million people stranded by floods in a north Indian state, with one local government leader describing the situation as a catastrophe.

Air force helicopters and troops were trying to get food to people in the stricken areas of Bihar state that were inundated by flood waters last week after torrential rains caused the Kosi river in neighboring Nepal to burst its banks.

The Bihar state government issued a plea to relief agencies to step in and help get food and shelter to the residents.

"It is not a normal flood, but a catastrophe," said Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar after making an aerial survey of the ravaged districts.

Kumar said more than 1 million people were cut off from the rest of the country because the floods had washed away roads and made railway lines impassable.

India's monsoon season, which lasts from June to September, brings rain vital for the country's farmers but also massive destruction. Floods, mudslides, collapsing houses and lightning strikes kill hundreds of people every year.

This year's monsoon has killed more than 330 people in India so far. In 2007, monsoon floods killed more than 2,200 people across South Asia and left 31 million others homeless, short of food or with other problems. The United Nations called last year's floods the worst in living memory.

Officials said they were struggling to cope because the Kosi river changed its course after bursting its banks, flooding areas not usually affected by the seasonal monsoon.

"We are in for a long battle as the floods have come in areas which are not prone to it," said the state's Disaster Management Secretary Prataya Amrit. He said the areas lacked facilities and relief centers for dealing with floods.

Kumar said he had appealed to the Indian Embassy in Nepal to secure permission for India to send in workers and equipment to try to mend the breach in the river.

[sopheapang]

A lot of people here in the U.S. are quite silly. They like to worship this silly imported religion called Christianity. What they don''t realize is that they are worshiping cruelty. How else can you describe a man who was supposedly nailed to a cross if not cruelty? When it comes to religions, Americans are not that creative at all, they can not create their own religion, all they do is relied on this imported cruelty worshiping they call Christianity. I think Americans ought to create their own form of religion instead of worshiping this imported religion. Why not try making the sun and the moon as Gods, at least the sun gives us warmth and solar power. I know the Chinese worship the Moon Lady.

[deacon20081]

GOP forever.........

So I see you are still hearing those voices in your head. Meds not working again huh dear?

[antoniof123]

Gop...why not take all your extra time with your blogging and do the Christian thing and get involved and help out!

Posted by observer2020 at 09:19 AM : Aug 25, 2008

Your asking a bunch of people who beleive in false religion to help no religious group helps that is why they teach false things to stay in power. From Christans, Jews, Muslims to the rest of orginazied religion. They are all a bunch of lies. The enslave the people to do their will not the will of GOD.

[matter77]

Narrow minded idiots,believe in Fairy Tales ( The Earth is doing its thing ).

[beehive21-2009]

Narrow minded idiots,believe in Fairy Tales ( religion ).The Earth is doing its thing,too many people on the Earth,so, some are too be washed away.

[observer2020]

Here we go with gop''s garbarge. People...believe what you want to believe, pray to whomever you want to pray to. They happen to live in an area that is prone to floods, etc. But when it happens--and it IS going to happen, who do they call for help? We have enough catastrophes going on in the US, but we are always willing to help. Gop...why not take all your extra time with your blogging and do the Christian thing and get involved and help out!