seraj-flood-hit-families-struggle-to-survive-without-cash

Weeks after cloudbursts and flash floods wreaked havoc in Seraj in Mandi district on June 30, hundreds of families are still trying to pick up the pieces. They’ve lost their homes, belongings, and means to earn and while the district administration has provided basic aid such as ration kits, blankets, and temporary shelter, one critical thing is missing: cash.

 

Without money in hand, disaster-hit families are unable to buy even the most basic essentials like baby food, medicines, clothes, or school supplies for their children.

 

Many are staying in relief camps set up at the Jal Shakti Department rest house in Swandigala, Panchayat Bhawans in Bada and Bagsyad, and the PWD rest house in Thunag. While they are thankful to the district administration for providing immediate help by setting yup relief camps and providing food, reality has hit hard as many of them don’t have money.

 

“My one-year-old needs milk, and I don’t have a single rupee to buy it,” says Purnavati, her eyes welling up as she sits in the Jal Shakti Department Rest House at Swandigala. “The government is giving us ration but without cash how do I meet such basic needs?” she asks as tears roll down her cheeks.

 

At the Thunag relief camp, Prem Singh expressed his disappointment over the poor quality of blankets given to the families affected during the floods. “The blankets are wet and unusable, especially during the monsoon weather. But more than that, we are suffering because we do not have money. My daughter is studying in the Central University of Himachal Pradesh, Dharamsala, and I do not know how I will finance her education now. Our house and shop were completely destroyed in the rain disaster.”

 

The administration did give Rs 5,000 per family as immediate relief, but families question is this enough. The scale of loss — and the daily needs that keep piling up — demand more.

 

Across camps, similar voices echo the same issues: survival needs more than just food. It needs dignity. It needs support they can actually use. And right now, what they need most is cash in hand.