A million in relief camps as UAE steps up Kerala aid
More than a million people have packed relief camps to escape the monsoon floods that killed 400 people in the Indian state of Kerala.
About 50,000 homes have been destroyed and people are flocking to 3,200 camps as the extent of the destruction is revealed by receding waters.
Six more bodies were found on Monday, taking the toll to about 410 since the monsoon weather started in June.
In Chengannur, one of the towns worst hit, more than 60 centimetres of water blocked roads as more rain fell yesterday.
Army rescuers said thousands of people in the town remained in homes that have been inundated by 10 days of downpours.
In response to the crisis, a plane loaded with aid was due to leave Abu Dhabi for Kozhikode city in Kerala last night.
Universal Hospital in the UAE organised the flight with about 41 tonnes of aid and equipment in the hold.
After the five-hour flight, the cargo will be distributed across Kerala by teams of volunteers.
Authorities promised to waive the customs duties on the load.
The Indian Ambassador to the UAE, Navdeep Suri, said on Monday that Kerala had enough supplies thanks to such generosity and that financial donations were the best way to help. Rescue teams in Chengannur yesterday reached the house of retired army officer KG Pillai, who said up to 2.5 metres of water had engulfed his home.
“In the past, there has never been more than one foot (0.3 metres) of floods and people are not used to this,” Mr Pillai said, according to Agence France-Presse.
“Around 26 people moved into the first floor of our home.” Many nearby roads and homes remained inaccessible.
An army officer in Chengannur said authorities believed most people left in the town did not want to be moved but were seeking food and water.
“We received a distress call late yesterday to rescue a disabled child and will be going in today in boats to check if there are others who need assistance,” he said.
Thousands of army, navy and air force personnel have fanned out across Kerala to help those in remote and hilly areas.
Dozens of helicopters and drones have dropped supplies to the needy.
Tens of thousands of people in Chengannur and surrounding villages are relying on community kitchens for meals.
“People have lost all or most of their belongings in the past few days,” the officer said. Shashi Tharoor, a deputy from Kerala and former UN official, estimated that 50,000 houses were destroyed.
Mr Tharoor said he would seek UN aid while on a trip to Geneva this week.
India’s Supreme Court judges donated $360 (Dh1,322) each, while British Sikh group Khalsa Aid International has set up a camp in Kochi, Kerala’s main city, to cook 3,000 meals a day.