I visited Kerala a few years ago and feel so sad today when I see the images coming out of the Indian state which has been devastated by the worst floods in 100 years.
The scenes are heart-breaking and the rescue efforts heroic. While the monsoon rains are no longer torrential some districts are still submerged forcing the country’s military to airdrop supplies and medical aid to people stranded on rooftops.
Nearly 250,000 have been made homeless and more than 350 people have died but the toll could go much higher in the crisis.
While hundreds of government rescue boats have been sent I hear that many of the state’s fishermen are also rallying to the cause by using their own vessels to rescue stranded locals.
Some of the mobile phone footage being recorded is truly shocking as I watched entire buildings sliding into flooded rivers while some villages have sunk without trace leaving behind only tell tale debris.
The awful truth is that these disasters are often just the start of something far worse and there are fears the vast camps of homeless could now face outbreaks of water-borne disease and other infectious outbreaks.
My thoughts and prayers are with the people of Kerala in their darkest hour.
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