Flood Relief (pre Covid-19) — Srinagar Flood 2014

Srinagar, Kashmir, September 2014

In September 2014, torrential rainfall in the Kashmir region resulted in disastrous floods across many districts. Heavy rainfall during the last stage of the monsoon triggered flooding and landslides. 2,600 villages were reportedly affected with 390 villages completely submerged. Many parts of Srinagar were inundated, and vital roads were submerged.

When Sant Baljit Singh Ji heard about the flood, his thoughts and heart went to the starving victims stranded on rooftops in wet clothes. Sant Baljit Singh Ji told Vishav Manav Ruhani Kendra that these people needed cooked food. Immediately, Vishav Manav Ruhani Kendra mobilized its volunteers to make fresh vegetable pickles and pooris (fried bread) to distribute to the victims. Fresh vegetable pickles and pooris were chosen because they can last for some days while the victims await rescue.

We made 1,500 packets containing pooris with fresh vegetable pickles. Our volunteers carefully packed each meal into individual packets which were then packed into big boxes. The big boxes were then loaded into two trucks and delivered to the local government authorities. Military aircraft distributed these packets to the victims stranded on the rooftops. After the military aircraft rescued victims to safety, Vishav Manav Ruhani Kendra volunteers handed out the food packets to the survivors at the Airforce Station in Chandigah. The food distribution service continued from evening to midnight on September 15, 2014.