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Torrential rains and mud slides have devastated thousands of families in the Leh region of India. A violent cloudburst caused flash floods that killed at least 185 people. More than 85,000 men, women and children have been affected. In response, AmeriCares India has mounted relief efforts including medical aid deliveries and support from disaster aid experts.
AmeriCares emergency responders from Mumbai are in Leh working with government officials and local partners. Critical medicines have already been delivered to address immediate health needs and dehydration.
AmeriCares emergency assistance is focused on SNM Hospital, the region’s main hospital. Despite sustaining serious structural damage sue to mudslides, flooding and an avalanche of boulders, dedicated doctors and nurses at the hospital are working hard treating people injured during the catastrophe.
“People arrived in droves at the hospital, suffering from deep cuts, broken bones, shattered skulls, torn ears and mud in their eyes. They were given tetanus vaccines and medications immediate to prevent serious infections and relieve their pain,” reported Bret McEvoy, an AmeriCares disaster relief expert working in Leh.
Officials believe the death toll will continue to rise as countless people have been buried under collapsed buildings, mud and debris. There is severe damage to the highway system and continuing rains hamper relief efforts, further isolating families in remote from relief.
“More assistance is desperately needed to help the survivors of the Leh cloudburst and floods. AmeriCares will continue to support the relief effort with additional deliveries of medicines, medical supplies and hospital equipment.”
The flooding in Northern India has added another dimension to an expanding crisis in Asia as record rains have produced disastrous flooding in Pakistan, North Korea, China and beyond. AmeriCares is assembling more resources and coordinating with partners to respond with targeted emergency relief as the flooding affects more regions and countries on the continent.
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