Project Concern International Responds to Flood Crisis in India

SAN DIEGO, Sept. 5 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- On August 18, the Kosi River
burst its banks following heavy monsoon rains, resulting in floods in the
Sunsari District of southeastern Nepal and Bihar State in northeastern India.

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20080905/DC32189 )

In the state of Bihar alone, an estimated three million people in over 1,700
villages have been affected, with over two million displaced. An estimated
300,000 homes have been destroyed and 250,000 acres of farmland are under
water.

Project Concern International (PCI) responded immediately to the crisis in
rural areas of the highly impacted district of Araria, evacuating families by
boat and working to provide assistance to ten shelters, housing an estimated
35,000 people.

PCI is mobilizing teams to provide water purification and oral rehydration
salts, soap and sanitation stations, and basic materials to help mothers
organize safe spaces for children.

"While the current focus now is on immediate needs, the greatest challenge
with these floods is that there doesn't appear to be any way for that flood
water to recede. These communities are likely to be in shelters for months on
end, cut off from livelihoods, schools, and dependent on assistance for basic
needs," said Jim DiFrancesca, Project Concern International's Director of
Humanitarian Assistance Programs who is on-site in Bihar.

According to officials in Bihar, more than half a million people have been
evacuated and an estimated 200,000 moved to government relief camps. While
search and rescue operations are ongoing, both countries are facing immediate
challenges in providing safe drinking water, sanitation areas and access to
health care.

The Kosi River, aptly nicknamed "The Sorrow of Bihar," is one of two major
tributaries draining the plains of northern Bihar, the most flood-prone area
of India. India is second in the world after Bangladesh in deaths due to
flooding, accounting for one fifth of global flood death toll.

Project Concern International is a San Diego-based health and humanitarian
organization dedicated to saving lives and building healthy communities around
the world. With over 47 years of experience, Project Concern International
reaches more than 3 million people each year in Asia, Africa, and the
Americas. For more information, visit our website at
www.ProjectConcern.org/FloodCrisis.

Contact: Tom Stephenson, 858-279-9690 ext. 322, tstephenson@projectconcern.org

SOURCE Project Concern International

Tom Stephenson of Project Concern International, +1-858-279-9690 ext. 322,
tstephenson@projectconcern.org