A River in Flood
Rivers in India are mostly flooded in the rainy season. They overflow and cause a heavy loss of both life and property. In flood, there is water for miles around and the communication break cause great misery and hardship to the flood victims.
Two years back there was an unusual heavy rain in our village. The river Yamuna is just two miles away from our village. The water reached our village and it also reached our house and the wall of our compound collapsed due to the force of water. The whole village came under knee deep water.
We left the house and belongings behind for safety was uppermost on our minds. We groped our way through the dark night in waist deep water and reached a raised platform and decided to spend the night there. Although we did not have a roof over our head we thanked God for saving our life.
Next day at break what we saw saddened us beyond words, for dead bodies of men, women and children could be seen floating around and different household items could also be seen floating in different directions. The fields of all the farmers were ruined in this flood which disheartened farmers beyond measure.
Soon the rescue party arrived and brought food and clothes for the villagers. The bodies were taken out from the water and boats were lowered in the flood water for those sitting on the roofs or trees. Relief work continued for several days. Various organisations also came forward to address the needs of victims. I will always remember the devotion and selflessness with which these organisations served the sick and needy people, as diseases had broken out after the flood.
