Urgent call for support: Families ravaged by floods in Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand need help

“The situation in Himachal is bad–there is so much unpredictability that you don’t know if you’ll be alive in the next hour or not. People do not have a roof over their heads nor do they have food to eat. What’s terrifying is that there is just not enough money to help them. 

And the water is in the worst condition. Everyone has diarrhea. The other day, I saw a family drinking water from a puddle; they had no other means. On one end, I could see mosquitoes buzzing in the water and from the other side, the family drinking… I was gutted. 

That's not all – women are using old, dirty clothes as sanitary napkins.

This is the worst crisis I have seen in my medical career. I reached Himachal 11 days ago with Doctors For You. We assist people in emergency situations– I came here to help, but I myself am feeling so helpless here. 

We are trying desperately to provide support to the people here. But no matter what we do, it just doesn’t feel enough.

The other day, this man came to see me, saying, 'Mujhe ghabrahat ho rahi hai!' Turns out, he was suffering from depression and anxiety. He was a fruit vendor and a father of 5. But he lost 2 of his kids in the floods. His daughter was 3 and his son was 7. They were sleeping in a different tent when the floods washed them away. Unfortunately, no medicines or therapy can change things for him.

But there are also so many people about whom I wonder, 'Did they make it?' One of the first few patients I had seen here was a 2-year-old kid who had diabetes. To live, he has to take 12 units of insulin everyday. But the floods washed away all his medicines and his parents’ savings. His blood sugar levels were 425 when it should have been less than 100. I had asked his family to immediately take him to the hospital but seeing their condition, I really doubt if they could. 

The air is thick with disease and fear. People have fled their houses. They have had the same clothes on them for over 10 days now. Most of them have been getting scabies–a skin infection. And then there are 20-25 people pushed into small tents. Of course the disease is spreading like wildfire.

We’re in desperate need of funds– No matter how much we want to help, our hands are tied without money. 

Not just that, it takes us hours to even reach some of these places because the roads are broken and the trees are scattered. Everyday, I wake up wondering how much worse can things get. And each day, they do. This is by far one of the worst hits for humanity and no one is helping us.  

People really need to come forward to help or else we aren't sure what the fate of Himachal will be. 

The mountains are calling… but this time for help!"

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Each penny counts for the victims of the Himachal floods. Come forward to help them get through this dark time.