The Waters of Life

September 2, 2008

Urgent prayers are needed for civilans, government, and relief workers! Here in America, a natural disaster threatens one of our coasts. Let this not be a detour but rather an opportunity for Altruism that we may seek out or similarities and create a bridge.

As the United States celebrated Labor Day weekend, villagers in Northern India cling to rooftops and trees to avoid hundreds of miles of flood waters. 1.2 million people are left homeless, and thousands have died. As many as 700,000 are still trapped with little or no food. Officals are stating that they are doing the best they can trying to get food to the trapped but it seems that the main focus is rescuing people and getting those people to relief camps. It is not for certain how much food is actually getting to the stranded. Some say nothing to little.

The Kosi river in Nepal changed course after a dam ruptured and spilled billions of gallons of water into the Northern region of India in the state of Bihar over the past two weeks.

Many of the organizations that provide aid to India are asking for aid themselves. For example, the Catholic dioceses of Bettiah, Muzaffarpur and Purnea are applying for international and national relief. Churches, mission centers, and hospitals have been trapped. Other facilities include The Missonaries of Charity Brothers, founded by Blessed Teresa of Kolkata and Sneha Dham, a hosipital that cares for people with leprosy.

-S. Laskowski