Heavy rains and rising rivers flood family homes in India

In recent weeks, India’s annual monsoon season, which typically runs from June through September, has taken a severe toll on several regions across the country. While the rains are vital for replenishing water sources and sustaining agriculture, they are also known to unleash destructive floods, landslides and widespread devastation.

In Prayagraj, a city in Uttar Pradesh and a community in Unbound’s Delhi program in the northern part of India, relentless rainfall and surging water levels from the Ganga and Yamuna rivers have severely disrupted daily life. The flooding has rapidly worsened, with waters inundating homes across multiple neighborhoods, leaving communities grappling with chaos.

Among the hardest hit are sponsored families, many of whom have endured floodwaters invading their homes — reaching knee-deep in some areas and submerging entire houses in others. In the most extreme cases, families were forced to seek refuge on rooftops or relocate to overcrowded flood relief camps, as their homes disappeared beneath the rising tide.

Families have been grappling with the loss of electricity, clean water, and other necessities, making daily life a daunting challenge. Bedding, clothing, and countless household items were destroyed, and many animals were tragically swept away by the relentless floodwaters. Amid the devastation, local Unbound staff and neighbors who were spared the worst of the damage quickly mobilized to support their communities — cooking meals, distributing clothing, and offering comfort and aid to those in urgent need.

“It was difficult to walk in the flooded areas to check on affected families,” Vinod Kumar Dass, coordinator for Unbound Delhi, said. “The entire credit goes to staff and core leaders for this hard work in solidarity with affected sponsored families, as it is a difficult and crucial time for many families.”

Unbound has activated its Critical Needs Fund to support the 186 families affected by the floods, prioritizing hygiene to reduce the risk of mosquito-borne illnesses such as dengue and malaria. The fund also assists with continued access to food, safe drinking water and essential items like clothing, while helping families begin the process of recovery and rebuilding.

This recent massive flooding in India comes on the heels of devastation in the Philippines, also caused by monsoons coupled with 77 mph wind gusts from Tropical Storm Wipha. In the Philippines, monsoon season runs from June through November. Those events impacted 414 families across Unbound’s programs in Manila, Quezon, Legazpi and Antipolo.

How to help families affected by disaster

As reports continue to come in from the field and Unbound assesses the extent of families’ needs, here are steps sponsors and others can take now to help.

• • Pray. The Unbound community is keeping all those affected and those assisting with relief efforts in our prayers.


• • Donate to the Critical Needs Fund. The fund assists families in the aftermath of events such as floods, severe storms, earthquakes and fires. From now until Aug. 31, you can double the impact of your donation to the Critical Needs Fund.