Reports from the Church of North India indicate that more than 150 people lost their lives during the storm. Thousands of homes were either damaged or demolished as a result of strong winds and heavy rain. According to the Indian Meteorological Department, the devastating storm came about as a result of intensifying weather patterns in the nearby Bay of Bengal.

UnitingWorld is assisting with the relief effort by providing the Church of North India with $5000 from the Emergency Relief Contingency Fund to help provide 200 families in the Durgapur Diocese with relief materials and rehabilitation.

The Emergency Relief Contingency Fund enables UnitingWorld to respond quickly by increasing the capacity of our overseas partners without the need to launch an appeal.

Teams of volunteers are travelling to affected villages to assess the extent of the damage caused by the storm and provide relief to communities that are now isolated as a result of blocked roads from fallen trees and power lines.

At the Kaliyaganj campus of the Church of North India, located approximately 600km north of the city of Kolkata, ministers and volunteers are responding to the urgent needs of those affected from surrounding villages by providing shelter, medical care, and other life-sustaining provisions.

Eyewitness accounts from local residents recall tin roofs being ripped away from building, mud houses being demolished, and large trees being uprooted.

A team of volunteers coordinated by the church in India are inspecting the damage and carrying out relief work in the affected villages. Telecommunications and electricity services have also been severely disrupted.

Please pray for those who are still at risk, and for those who have lost homes, livelihoods, friends, and family as a result of the storm.

Read more: http://www.unitingworld.org.au/2010/04/unitingworld-responds-to-destructive-storm-in-india/