Dear Friend,

As you would have seen on TV and news, the State of Kerala is suffering a flood of unprecedented proportions. In the worst flooding in 100 years, about half a million people are displaced and over 250,000 people are in 1600 relief camps. In spite of the huge effort by the State Government machinery, the Army and Navy, so far over 324 people have lost lives. The unusually heavy monsoon (40% more rain than normal) meant shutters of all 36 dams had to be opened which led to flooding in all 44 rivers in the state. With more rain predicted and a red alert in place across the state, there is no sign of the rain abating and the rescuers are battling torrential rains to save residents.

Providing just one meal for people in these camps is costing over 5 Million Indian Rupees. While the immediate relief work is important and are being done on a war footing, with tens of thousands of homes, buildings, roads and bridges destroyed, the rebuilding effort will take months if not years and billions of rupees.

Manchester Malayalee Association is a registered Charity (Reg No: 1175205) and community association of people from the State of Kerala, based in Manchester and is currently raising money to support the relief work in Kerala. The money raised will be donated to the Kerala Chief Minister’s Distress Relief Fund. We would really appreciate it if your community is able to contribute and support our initiative. Even a donation of a single pound will be a great help to the people of Kerala at this difficult time.

Please see the links for the news reports

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-india-45231222

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-india-45232327

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/aug/17/kerala-floods-death-toll-rescue-effort-india?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other