Dear Friends, One kind supporter suggested we emphasize how much a small amount of money can do in India and that none of these funds raised goes to overhead. But everyone reading this knows that we hope!

VSPCA flood relief outreach teams do more than rescue animals from death and starvation. They provide us an opportunity to reach rural villages and enter people s hearts by teaching humane awareness. The villagers eagerly embrace the message that animals need our love and kindness too.

Good news: We are coordinating with animal welfare groups from Hyderabad — The Blue Cross and Bharitya Prani Mitra Sangh — to make a push to reach Khammamm and Adialabad Districts, Bhadrachalma the temple town and Konaseema of the East Godavari affected areas where the villages are still marooned. (Map.)

We hope to reach a total of 16 districts. We want to go into the interior areas where there are landslides and cut-off villages.

We are now looking at helping more than an estimated 1,000,000 animals with vaccinations and medical attention. They also say that the department has been sending the vaccinations to their respective districts but it is a different story on the field as we enter the villages and find no one is helping. Quite frankly, the people have not been helped either, and it is a delicate situation if we enter a village to help the animals before the people! Without food the people and animals are eating rubbish and diseases like chikungunya, cholera and viral fever have already broken out in these areas. So we are trying to get vaccinations and medicines from the Indian vaccine companies at free cost while VSPCA will support all the special feed and vitamin supplements necessary for these areas.

Bad news: Another weather pressure is forecast and more heavy rain is upon us. This is the fifth weather depression in a row. Much more help will be needed.

Very latest news: The most affected area in the state is still Srikakulam where our two teams are located having just been sent with 10 tonnes of special feed. Three villages are still marooned with five feet of water, with no food and water, and they are still unreachable. Currently our team with two trucks is deeply stuck and unable to pass through. We are trying to reach the villages in smaller vehicles and by foot and then the villagers can meet us to take our help.

Press coverage:

Victims of Flood Marooned (18th August, The Hindu)

Flood relief not up to the mark (19th August The Hindu)

“Life in the affected villages was far from being normal. The plight of people who were back in their homes was more pitiable. Calling for a realistic approach in enumeration of flood losses, mud houses, which were under water for more than a week would certainly take more time to collapse.”

Below: WSPA funded relief camps in July/August

Edited by Eileen Weintraub, VSPCA Representative

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