Indian Church handing out relief aid to flood-stricken Chennai residents

The Bishops' Conference of India has launched an appeal for solidarity to all Catholics. Caritas and the Global Council of Indian Christians were among the first to act. Indian dioceses are mobilising for further assistance. Overall, 269 people are confirmed dead with 3,000 families displaced, 7,700 houses destroyed, and about a thousand shanties swept away.

New Delhi (AsiaNews) – The Catholic Church in India is leading humanitarian relief efforts in flood-stricken areas of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, especially in the coastal area near the state capital of Chennai.

Card Baselios Cleemis, president of the Indian Bishops' Conference, wrote a letter to every diocese, appealing for help from "all Catholic institutions, priests, religious, lay employees of Caritas India and all social organisations". Caritas India, the Global Council of Indian Christians and the dioceses responded swiftly to the request.

Although rains have taken a backseat, the situation in Chennai remains critical. Many parts of the city are still under water, many streets remain flooded and thousands of homes have been destroyed.

The severe downpour that began in the first weeks of November intensified with each passing day. Overall, 269 people are confirmed dead, with about 3,000 families displaced, 7,700 houses damaged, 1,000 shanties swept away by floods and about 250,000 hectares of cropland wiped out.

Witnesses said that entire neighbourhoods went under water, with a negative impact on movement and access to basic necessities. Initially, rail and air transport were also disrupted and power supplies cut.

Speaking on behalf of the Catholic Church in India, Card Cleemis made “an earnest appeal to bishops, priests, religious, lay leaders and collaborators of Caritas India to encourage the community of faithful, institutions and people of goodwill to make voluntary donations to this humanitarian call and express our solidarity and support."

Caritas India was among the first organisations to bring aid. In a few days, it handed out hundreds of kits with food, drinking water, clothes, utensils and medical supplies. The charity reached 10,000 flood victims in the initial phase.

Mgr Anthony Poola, bishop of Kurnool (Andhra Pradesh), told AsiaNews that the country’s dioceses are also mobilising to bring assistance. "Within a week, we shall be able to bring what we raised and collected to Chennai, especially food and kitchen material. Christmas is approaching and people do not have much to give; however, they are giving what they can."

The Global Council of Indian Christians (GCIC) was one of many Christian associations that responded to the Bishops' Conference’s appeal. "As soon as I heard about the flood, I launched a desperate plea for help to all my friends,” GCIC president Sajan K George, president, told AsiaNews. “The GCIC, the Pattalam market and Newark mission came together at once for an action plan. We called it #BangaloreANPU.”

Volunteers handed out a thousand survival kits and helped people access their bank accounts. The Pattalam market donated food for breakfast and water to a group of 700 people and the Newark mission bought blankets and sheets.

Volunteers were also able to take advantage of the generosity of a hostel owner, who hosted the entire delegation and donated 10,000 rupees.

Finally, "Our motivation to do something for the downtrodden, the hungry and the thirsty, comes from the word of the living Christ. We act for Christ and His creation,” said Sajan K George.

(Santosh Digal and Nirmala Carvalho contributed to this article)