Luke 21:25,26 NAS “There will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and on the earth dismay (tension from difficult circumstances that "won't move" which produces distress or anguish – causing someone to feel "locked in" or “tightly pressed”) among nations, in perplexity at the roaring of the sea and the waves, men fainting (lose morale, become disheartened, like lapsing into temporary unconsciousness) from fear and the expectation of the things which are coming upon the world...
Military troops are now leading rescue operations in the flood-torn northern states in India including the use of helicopters to rescue stranded civilians.
Officials have confirmed the deaths of 138 people with hundreds more still missing.
In addition to the flooding, landslides are now a serious threat to the region. In Nepal, a landslide killed 22 and has 18 people missing.
In Uttarakhand, tens of thousands of pilgrims are still stranded and more than 100 have been killed in that region alone. More than 100 homes have been damaged and the government is promising to step up relief efforts.
“The maximum devastation has been in [the temple town of] Kedarnath and its vicinity,” Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said. “The priority is to rescue the stranded and provide urgently needed succour to those most needing it.”
Singh told the BBC that 102 people have died in Uttarakhand but that “the loss of lives could eventually be much higher.”
The India monsoon season is June to September and provides the rain that is critical for farmers in the region but the rains have been much heavier than usual.
