September 17, 2008

CHICAGO – More than 2 million people have been affected by floods in Bihar, India, according to Megan E. Bradfield. Members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) gave $100,000 Sept. 15 to help provide "life sustaining assistance" to 10,000 families affected by the flooding.

The Kosi River changed its course, said Bradfield, associate director for international development, ELCA Global Mission. The river, which gathers water from some of the highest mountains in Nepal, including Mt. Everest, and enters India in north Bihar, shifted more than 70 miles eastward on Aug. 18, she said. As a result, more than 180 miles of embankments have been rendered useless and water is now flowing through a channel abandoned more than 200 years ago, reported Bradfield.

"The effect has been enormous, inundating numerous towns and villages that were considered ‘flood-safe areas' and had not seen such floods for decades," said Bradfield. "The river grew rapidly to a width of nine miles, covering hundreds of communities along the Bihar plains, leaving thousands of families displaced" from their homes, she said.

Through ELCA International Disaster Response, the funds were sent to Action by Churches Together (ACT) for implementation by Lutheran World Service India (LWSI). LWSI is a "country program" of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) Department for World Service.

"LWSI plans to implement relief intervention in three blocks of the worst affected districts: Saharsha and Madhepura in the states of Bihar. Families living in relief camps (there) are the primary beneficiaries of crisis phase intervention," said Bradfield. The goal of LWSI's relief efforts include reaching flood-affected families with food, water purification tablets, shelter materials and basic household necessities for hygiene and cooking, she said.

ACT is a global alliance of churches and related agencies working to save lives and support communities in emergency situations worldwide. It is based with the World Council of Churches (WCC) and the LWF in Geneva. The ELCA is a member of the WCC and the LWF. The LWF is a communion of churches representing 68.3 million of the world's Lutherans.

Coordinated by ELCA Global Mission, International Disaster Response channels its funds through international church organizations and relief agencies. Funds provide for food, medicine, drinking water, emergency shelter and other materials for survivors of disasters.

ELCA News Service