Rob Mitchell (McEwen, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Over the last few weeks we have seen devastating images coming out of Kerala, India, with millions of locals being affected by torrential flooding in the south. August rainfall in the state so far has been 2½ times the normal rainfall for the period. The Peermade weather station, in Idukki, broke over 100 years of records for 24-hour rainfall. The floods have taken the lives of over 350 people and a further 33,000 people have been rescued from the hundreds of affected communities. Hundreds of homes have been destroyed as a result of these monsoonal rains. Indian emergency services and international organisations have opened around 4,000 relief camps, which are currently sheltering over one million people who have been displaced in this tragic event.

In McEwen, we have a much-cherished Indian community. On behalf of all McEwen residents, I send to the Indian people our sincerest thoughts, condolences and support in this difficult time. Our thoughts are with the millions of people who have been displaced and those whose families and friends have been affected by these devastating floods. We hope India can rebuild quickly, and we would like to see them recover with the support of all Australian aid programs and our partners around the world. We ourselves know the devastation that natural disasters can have on our communities, and that is why we are always behind those in need when they need our help. To all our Indian friends, we wish you all the very best. We hope and pray that everything works out quickly and well for you.