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Date: June 30, 2003 
In mid-June, the first phase of floods triggered by heavy monsoon rains hit the north-eastern state of Assam. Over 400,000 persons were displaced. The worst hit districts were Hailakandi and Karimganj in the south and western Nalbari and Dhemaji in the east. Thousands of people have been forced to take shelter in makeshift tents, schools and government buildings. Water sources have been flooded resulting in an acute lack of potable water. Local authorities have been providing relief and medicines along with water purifying tablets.
The water level in the tributaries has receded somewhat, but the level in the main Brahamaputra river is rising since most of the tributaries feed into the Brahamaputra from the upper catchment areas. According to the Indian Meteorological Department the major rivers remain below the danger line, however, the flood situation is expected to deteriorate as more rains have been forecast for the region.
UMCOR's ecumenical partner Churches Auxiliary for Social Action (CASA) has taken up a flood relief program for 1,000 families in Karimganj district.
Please give to Advance #274305 and designate "South Asia Emergency" on the memo line of your check. Give through your local United Methodist church or mail contributions to: UMCOR, 475 Riverside Dr., Room 330, New York, NY 10115. Call (800) 554-8583 to make a credit card donation. You can also make a donation online. Click here to make a secure online gift. One hundred percent of your gift goes to relief and recovery efforts. United Methodists' generous giving to the One Great Hour of Sharing, part of their ongoing contribution to mission around the world, supplements the cost of Advance gifts.
Source: Action by Churches Together, http://www.act-intl.org.