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Mumbai, India hit simultaneously by train bombings, heavy rains and severe localized flooding.
Salvation Army officers in India were holding a meeting at their headquarters in Mumbai when news arrived that there had been explosions on trains in the city. Commissioner Krupa Das, commander of The Salvation Army’s India Western Territory, reacted in the spirit of Salvation Army Founder William Booth and immediately instructed his officers to go and “do something”. Arriving at the scene, the officers found the authorities already tending to the needs of the injured but noticed a great number of people who were stranded due to the train system being disrupted. Salvation Army officers and volunteers worked well into the night finding transport for people who would otherwise have had no way to get home.
With initial relief efforts completed, The Salvation Army is still involved in helping those who were injured by providing much-needed emergency supplies to over-burdened hospitals. There is also much work to be done in spiritual counseling for the families affected by the atrocity, which claimed more than 200 lives.
The train bombing remains a featured news item, but there is another disaster in Mumbai which is causing distress to hundreds of families and yet seems to have escaped the notice of the world’s media. Heavy rains have caused severe localized flooding that has left more than 400 families in need of immediate assistance. Salvation Army teams have been distributing food baskets to many of the affected families.
Whether at a disaster that makes international news, or in a smaller, local emergency, The Salvation Army aims to be present to offer whatever help is most needed. International Headquarters has released US$8,000 to help with the immediate needs. Donations to the South Asia Disaster Fund will help Salvationists in India to continue their vital work.
—Salvation Army international news release