Flooding has left 2.5 million people homeless, says CWR Director David Husby. Hundreds of thousands are seeking shelter in camps set up by the government as well as non-governmental organizations. Click here to see photos of the aftermath.
Some Indian officials have said the flooding is the worst in more than a century in the normally dry states of Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. The states actually had been suffering severe drought until earlier this month, when rainfall that was 600 percent higher than normal poured down on the region.
The waters have swamped millions of acres of cropland, causing concern about the impact on the region’s important crucial sugar, corn and rice harvests. Health officials also fear the outbreak of disease.