At least 90 dead in flooding.

[RB TexLa]

I know, I know, I should have pointed out that they aren't "red blooded Mericans" in the title.



By Biswajyoti Das Tue Sep 2, 5:14 AM ET

GUWAHATI, India (Reuters) - Heavy rains and rising floodwaters forced hundreds of thousands of people from their homes in northeastern India and sent elephants and rhinos fleeing, as monsoon misery spread in South Asia.

In the eastern Indian state of Bihar, desperate flood victims attacked a warehouse and looted food supplies, while in neighboring Bangladesh major rivers rose to danger levels and fresh parts of the country were submerged.

In the northeastern state of Assam, heavy rains caused water levels to rise on Tuesday, affecting more than a million people and disrupting road networks for the second consecutive day.

Animals fled to higher ground in Kaziranga National Park after the Brahmaputra burst its banks and flooded most of the park, home to more than half of the world's population of one-horned rhinoceros.

At least two rhino calves were drowned and a herd of 100 elephants were swept away by floodwaters, forest officials said.

"We are now worried the poachers will take advantage and kill rhinos and elephants as they are moving out of the protected areas to safer ground," said chief warden S. N. Buragohain.

In Bihar, the floods have already displaced about three million people and killed at least 90.

Hundreds of stick-wielding villagers ransacked a food warehouse in Madhepura district and looted food packets while police guarding the warehouse ran for cover. Government vehicles carrying food were also looted.

"We cannot stop incidents despite our best efforts,

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080902/wl_nm/southasia_floods_dc_3

[muriel_volestrangler]

1. There's a lot of criticism of the Indian government about this

It's been going on for a couple of weeks now - and it seems something that is within the scope of the central government to handle, if they try. BBC report on it: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/7593497.stm