The Zakat Foundation of America

Zakat Foundation South India Flood Relief

In November 2009, Southern India was hit by the worst flood the country has experienced in almost a century. More than 300 are dead and over 2.5 million people are homeless as floodwaters submerged farmland and towns, causing billions of dollars of damage.

More than a million people crammed into government temporary housing, but the scale of the disaster has crippled the government’s ability to reach and meet the needs of the most severely affected communities. Aid workers have reported that there is still an acute lack of food, water and sanitation in the shelters.

As part of our Emergency Relief response to the India floods, Zakat Foundation’s local partners distributed food packages, hygiene packages and medicine for the survivors of the flood. Zakat Foundation’s Emergency Relief efforts in Karnataka, India has been covered by local media. The conditions created by the mass flooding have left survivors vulnerable for water- borne diseases, like malaria and cholera. Hygiene packages can reduce the probability of these illnesses spreading and exacerbating an already dire situation. Southern India was experiencing severe drought when the torrential rains caused floodwaters to overtake the region.