Indians Publish Cries for Help and Calls for Donations on Twitter as Deadly Flooding Hits Jammu and Kashmir · Global Voices
Rezwan

A group of young people try to evacuate goods from a flooded house in Bemina Srinagar, Kashmir. Image by Faisal Khan. Copyright Demotix (5/9/2014)
Flash floods have submerged about 2,600 villages and killed 150 people so far in the northern-most Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir in what is being described as the worst food the area has seen in 50 years.
Heavy torrential rain in the Himalayan mountains in the past weeks caused the worst floods in 50 years in Kashmir Valley and some districts of Jammu region. Approximately one-third of capital Srinagar city is under flood waters and over a million people are affected in Jammu division. According to news reports, more than 11,000 civilians have been rescued so far and 2,000 have been provided with food and temporary shelters.
As the situation worsened, more and more citizen journalists began spreading the news via Twitter and Facebook. Twitter hashtags like #KashmirFloods, #KashmirFloodRelief and #JKFloodRelief are being used. Raheel Khurshid, the head of news, politics & government at Twitter India, prepared a list of Twitter users who are updating the situation from the ground.
Ahsan, a journalism student and blogger from Kashmir, tweeted his observations:
It's raining hell in Kashmir. Roads and rivers inundated. People being evacuated to safer places. #KashmirFloods
— Ahsan (@iahsn) September 4, 2014
Bismah Malik, a journalist form Srinagar, Kashmir, published a photo of the flood waters:
#Jhelum , #Srinagar overflows with flood water. #Kashmirfloods pic.twitter.com/4YimqEUQEo
— Bismah Malik (@bismahmalik) September 4, 2014
This Facebook video shows strong currents in the swollen Poonch river threatening a hanging bridge.
Blogger Zafar Iqbal tweeted:
#kashmirfloods People watching in dumbfounded horror as the flood waters takes away the bridge trestle in srinagar. pic.twitter.com/0n811jMVOL
— Zafar Iqbal (@Shayik_Zafar) September 5, 2014
Authint Mail, an online news site, reported that army, police, fire and emergency workers were called in to evacuate stranded families from Bemina Srinagar. On September 6, 2014, it reported in a live blog that overnight rains in Srinagar and nearby regions of Indian-administered Kashmir have swelled the water levels in river Jehlum and other streams. Thousands in the region abandoned their homes and were running short of essential commodities.
” Even #RadioKashmir announcer announces that the services will be shut anytime as the water has entered the premisis #KashmirFloods“
— #KASHMIRFLOODS (@aarish_khann) September 7, 2014
River #Poonch in #Kotli at its full force #KashmirFloods pic.twitter.com/jMP3eBQKjY
— Atif Jamal (@Ajtweetry) September 7, 2014
People are using Twitter to send distress messages:
SOS Masood kamili & family 946950895, 9419449678, needs to be evacuated from chanapora #kashmirfloods
— TheKashmiris (@TheKashmiris) September 7, 2014
@ndtvfeed Still no news of my dad .trapped in his home in HyderBinZaid #Mushtaq Extn Colony, Hyderpora Srinagar. any updates #KashmirFloods
— Irfan Haji (@aurfe) September 7, 2014
A Kashmiri student of classical Islam tweeted more distress calls:
HELP needed near Rajbagh, Smokin’ Joes, near Huriyyat Office. Women and Children stranded. Someone around? #KashmirFloods
— #KashmirFloods (@NaqKash) September 7, 2014
HELP needed in KaranNagar. Draboo house opp. to SMHS hospital . 5 people stranded badly. #Kashmirfloodrelief
— #KashmirFloods (@NaqKash) September 7, 2014
People used Twitter to ask for donations and spread the word about shelters:
My friend Abrar is opening his home for the affected people in #KashmirFloods pic.twitter.com/c6YRhZaxMU
— Muhammad Faysal (@_Faysal) September 7, 2014
You want to donate anything inform by CALLING OR SENDING SMS TO THESE NUMBERS 9622220996, 9906083033, 9906602289 No cash. #KashmirFloods
— #KashmirFloods (@NaqKash) September 7, 2014
60 people accomodation available with food. Feel free to contact at 9906531234. SANAT NAGAR #KashmirFloods
— #KashmirFloods (@NaqKash) September 7, 2014
IMP:List of essentials needed for #kashmirfloodrelief. Call: 9796331117, 9906760308, 9906111000, 9419400180. Pls RT pic.twitter.com/BZqmXeDpYY
— Parminder Singh (@parrysingh) September 6, 2014
Bamboo houses of nomads submerged in flash floods on the outskirts of Jammu, India. Image by Amarjeet Singh. Copyright Demotix (5/9/2014)
A blog titled #JKFloodrelief has been put up to aggregate information about flood relief. The information is compiled by some volunteer netizens with reliable on-ground connections.