Torrential
monsoon rains often cause severe flooding in many parts of India, and BAPS has
provided relief aid during many such flood disasters over the past 30 years.
The 1979 flood of Morbi, noted as the worst Indian flooding disaster of the
century, had left 10,000 people homeless. BAPS mobilized thousands of
volunteers from all over India to contribute their services and funds in Morbi,
and volunteers worked day and night to return normalcy to the people of Morbi.
With the Islamic festival of Eid approaching, volunteers even prepared sweets
for for thousands of Muslim families, giving them an opportunity to celebrate
Eid and bringing joy in a dark and trying time. 20 years later, BAPS assembled
a task force three times as large to help the victims of flooding in Surat,
Gujarat. Doctors from BAPS centers around the world came to Gujarat to treat a
total of 10,000 patients, providing much needed medical care and medicine. When
the 2008 floods in Bihar left more than than 2.5 million people homeless and
had wholesale wiped out the infrastructure across the state, BAPS volunteers
worked to feed, clothe and care for hundreds of families. When Gujarat was hit
with massive floods in 2006, the BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha stationed 2,100
volunteers and sadhus at 20 centers to provide relief, preparing food and
medical kits for displaced families, aiding in rescue missions, and joining in
the cleanup process to help get cities operating again.
