Scottish charity helps 13,000 families hit by floods in India

A Scottish charity is helping 13,000 families who have been affected by devastating floods in India.

Devastating floods in Kerala, India left more than 200 people dead and sent more than 800,000 fleeing for dry land. Picture: AP Photo/Aijaz Rahi

Mary’s Meals is now appealing to the public as they continue to provide support to those hit by the disaster in Kerala.

Father Joson Thakaran, who leads the charity’s partner organisation in India, travelled to his home state of Kerala to meet people displaced by the flooding and to coordinate the emergency food distribution.

He said: “These are the worst floods in living memory; a real deluge on a level that is unprecedented.

“Homes are under seven feet of water. People have lost their livelihoods and their possessions. Some people have lost their lives.

“Mary’s Meals has responded very quickly with a plan to provide emergency food to the poorest of the poor living in the worst-affected areas.”

As the flood waters recede, many people across the region are expected to return from temporary camps to find their homes severely damaged and their crops and livestock decimated.

In an initial response, Mary’s Meals is distributing food parcels containing rice to thousands of vulnerable families in two villages within the flood-ravaged Alappuzha District in the Kuttanad region of Kerala.

Magnus MacFarlane-Barrow, founder of the charity, said: “We have a long history of responding to emergency situations through existing partners who are well-placed to provide quick and effective relief to those who are suffering.

“While providing daily meals in a place of education is always our primary focus, we are moved to respond to those in need whenever we are able and we’re incredibly thankful to our partner in India and to our supporters for their commitment and generosity and for the love they are showing to the people of Kerala in the midst of this disaster.”