Deadly south India floods push Calgary Malayalees to cancel festival

Calgary's Malayaleecommunity has cancelled its annual harvest festival to focus on raising money to support its flood-stricken homeland, the southern India state of Kerala.

The region is seeing the worst flooding in a century. Monsoon rains, which began Aug. 8, have triggered floods and landslides that have swept away entire villages, killing at least 350people and displacing 800,000 others.

Over the weekend, a further 22,000 stranded people were rescued by helicopters and boats.

"Everyone here in Calgary coming from that state has a story to say today, be it their own home or their parents stranded and caught up on this," Malayalee Cultural Association of Calgary member Simi Paul said Tuesday. "They've all been affected."

Paul, who grew up in Kerala, says her own parents are safe now. Her uncle's family lost their home.

"It happened early morning, three o'clock, when they heard the whole hill falling on them," she told the Calgary Eyeopener.

Malayalee, orKeralitepeople, are an Indian ethnic groupfrom the state ofKeralain southwestern India.

The association voted last week to cancel its annual Hindu festival, Onam, which was set for early September. As a harvest festival, it's usually celebrated by a feast. The group thought that would be inappropriate when so many peopleare suffering in Kerala.

"We wish we could be there, but it's not possible," Paul said.

Instead, they decided to take action. They've set a goal of donating $20,000 to the Keralachief minister's emergency fund. Within a few days of launching the campaign, they've raised $12,000, Paul said.

"It's not even over yet. It's still going on," she said. "There are people still in those relief camps needing all the basic requirements."

Weatherimproved this week in southern India, but in some parts of the state, rainfall has been more than double a typical monsoon season. Rescuers continue to try to find stranded people.

• Listen to more from Simi Paul about efforts to help people in Kerala:

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With files from Lisa Robinson andtheCalgary Eyeopener.