Flooding in East India is endangering people, homes, livestock and crops, according to an article from AlertNet/Reuters:

Tens of thousands of people in India’s eastern region of Orissa are stranded – living on roof tops or sleeping in the open with little food and water – in the worst floods to hit the area in 30 years, aid workers and officials said on Wednesday.

The flooding, sparked by two spells of heavy monsoon rains, has disrupted the lives of more than two million people after submerging over 3,000 villages in the impoverished coastal state. At least 38 people have died.

In some areas, water levels are 5-6 feet deep and people have made platforms on their roofs for fear of drowning, while others are sleeping out in the open on higher ground.

Cassie Dummett, head of programming for Catholic Relief Services, an international aid agency working in the area, said the emergency response is not yet meeting needs.

“Access to clean water is a serious problem and many people have been forced to drink the contaminated flood waters,” she said. “Shelter is also inadequate as people have had their homes destroyed.”

Read the rest of the article at AlertNet.