By Courtney Spamer, Meteorologist
September 8,2014; 9:35PM,EDT
Historic flooding, that has already claimed more than 300 lives across the two countries, could continue to cause issues as flood waters flow slowly downstream.
The seasonal monsoon has been drenching India and Pakistan with torrential rains over the past week, causing catastrophic flooding.
What officials are calling the worst flooding to hit India and Pakistan in 50 years has brought landslides, countless evacuations and water rescues.
On
Sept. 8, Pakistani army soldiers and volunteers northeast of Lahore,
Pakistan, were rescuing thousands. (AP Photo/K.M. Chaudary)The flooding has led to widespread communication issues, as the high water continues to cause electricity and phone outages. This has slowed the speed of rescue crews trying to reach people still trapped in their collapsed or flooded homes.
"This is an unprecedented situation and we are doing the best we can under the circumstances," the chief prime minister of India's Jammu and Kashmir state, Omar Abdullah, tweeted out on Saturday, Sept. 6. "Please don't panic, we will reach you, I promise."
Some relief efforts are underway, with army and air force troops working to get supplies to victims of the flooding, flying boats in from Delhi.
An
areal view of the River Tawi at Manal Village shows a bridge washed out
by the rising flood waters just outside of Jammu, India. (AP
Photo/Channi Anand)However, further devastation is also possible. Water flowing from the India-controlled Kashmir and northern Pakistan will likely be flowing southward through the Chenab River into the main Indus River.
Towns and villages along these rivers, even though they have not seen the monsoonal rain themselves, could see the rivers rising over their banks. Similarly devastating flooding is possible for cities such as Jammu, Trimmu and Mithankot.
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