Amid efforts to rebuild, residents of Karala face another round of floods

Karala, India, Aug 23, 2019 / 16:02 pm

Just a year after devastating floods swept through Kerala, India, the state is again facing devastating flooding.

Indian officials said that heavy rains this month have resulted in landslides and flash floods. According to ucanews, 100 people in Kerala have been killed and 1,115 homes have been destroyed.

According to the Indian Express, over 150,000 people have been relocated to one of the 1,221 relief camps in Kerala.

Father George Vettikattil, secretary of the Justice, Peace and Development Commission of the Kerala Catholic Bishops' Council, said 300 church institutions are being used as relief camps for about 45,000 people. Like last year, he said, Catholic fishing communities are also using their boats for rescue missions.

"We have opened all our institutions to accommodate needy people in temporary and safe accommodation," he told Vatican News.

Vettikattill told ucanews that "the destruction is less than last year." In 2018, the monsoon season was the worst Kerala had seen in nearly a century. The natural disaster took over 400 lives and damaged 75,000 homes.

Families are still working to rebuild after last year's floods.

Vettikattill said many people have offered money and volunteer work to help rebuilt the community. Caritas India alone has carried out $4 million worth of rebuilding efforts, including a loan program to help families buy goats, which can then be used to sell milk. In three years, the families are expected to repay the diocese with a baby lamb.

The loans help, but they are not enough, according to Kunjumol and Velayudhan, one couple participating in the program. They said the income from the goat's milk will not be enough to rebuild their damaged home. They believe the government must do more to assist.

"The government has almost abandoned us," he said, according to ucanews. "Some officials came and asked us questions but we got none of the benefits the government promised in the media."