Heavy monsoon rains in the South Indian state of Kerala has led to unprecedented flood damage bringing the entire state under water. Flood alert has been issued in twelve of the fourteen districts in the state. Over 300 people have lost their lives, and more than 100,000 homes destroyed. More than 200,000 people displaced by the rains are now lodged in 1,500+ relief camps across the 14 districts under difficult conditions. With rains continuing to batter, many of the relief camps themselves are threatened by flood waters.

Sewa International President, Prof. Sree Sreenath announced an immediate grant of $10,000 toward flood relief. Sewa International in the US, along with its India partner, Sevabharathi Keralam, is involved in rescue and relief operations. Over 5,000 Sewa volunteers have fanned out distributing food packets and cooking kits, and are opening free kitchens and medical camps to help the flood affected.

Sewa International also Coordinated Rescue of Two Senior Citizens

With rains continuing to pour incessantly, the water from the lake adjoining the house of Sewa volunteer Sanjay Poduval's in-laws in Thrissur overflowed, flooding their home and leaving them in knee-deep water. The water rose  by the hour and they desperately needed help.

Hearing this news, Sanjay immediately contacted Sevabharathi Keralam, partner organization of Sewa International, and a WhatsApp group called "#KeralaFloods Sewa Support". Within 15 minutes, Gopakumar from the San Francisco Bay Area, and Gokul Kunnath from Atlanta flashed the message to the people on the ground at Thrissur, 8,883 miles away.

A relieved Sanjay tweeted: "Thanks to Gopakumar's and Gokul’s timely help, we were able to rescue my in-laws and they are now safe in our relative's home in Thrissur. Thanks also to Achalesh, Sachin and the entire Sewa support team. Really proud to be part of this team".

Over 5,000 volunteers representing 352 Sevabharathi units are engaged in the relief works in the flood-affected districts in Kerala. Twenty four medical camps have been opened in Kuttalanadu regions in Alapuzha District, one of the most flood-affected areas in the state. More medical camps are scheduled to be opened in the coming days. With the support of well-wishers and volunteers, various relief camps are directly organized by Sevabharathi providing basic supplies, food, accommodation, and medical services.

Fourty three ambulances of Sevabharathi have been pressed into service in the flood relief work in different areas. Hundreds of common people are joining hands with Sevabharathi to support these initiatives and the organization is mobilizing clothes, food grains, drinking water bottles, and other material from the public to serve the affected people. In each district, a collection center is opened to collect the materials from the public and to arrange the transportation to relief places. The state leadership team of Sevabhrathi is directly monitoring the activities in each district.

In this hour of need, Sewa urges everyone to donate generously.

1. Online: www.sewausa.org/donate

Select “Kerala Floods” in the projects dropdown

2. Check:

Make to “Sewa International” and mail to: Sewa International,

P O Box 820867,

Houston, TX 77282-0867

The author also issued the following statement in the press release:

Given the immediate need for help, we decided to release $10,000 in our first tranche of funds toward flood relief. We are in regular contact with our India partner, and our volunteers are joining hands with other relief agencies to provide as much help as we can in this hour of need. We have experience in providing disaster recovery around the world, and we will work hard to get people the help they need. We have also setup a

24 hour US helpline number for assistance on Kerala Floods for US residents sending rescue requests on behalf of their loved ones trapped in various parts of Kerala.