A 97-year-old survived deadly floodwaters in Assam, India, by riding to safety on a homemade raft built from banana tree stems.
A 97-year-old survivor managed to escape dangerous, rising floodwaters in the northeastern Indian state of Assam by floating to safety on a raft made from banana tree trunks. Heavy monsoon rains caused big rivers like the Brahmaputra to spill over their banks in August 2026, drowning entire towns and cutting off normal roads.
Because the water rushed in so fast, locals could not use cars, buses, or standard transport to reach safety. In many places, residents had to quickly cut down banana trees, tie the buoyant stems together with rope, and use them as floating platforms to carry family members, food, and animals through deep water.
The disaster has already claimed at least 100 lives across Assam, destroying thousands of homes and forcing over 300,000 people into government emergency camps. Water flooded farmlands, washed away farm animals, and destroyed mud houses within minutes. For many families, building a banana raft was the only difference between life and death because relief boats could not get everywhere in time.
Farukuddin Ahmed, a 47-year-old trader from the badly hit town of Nazira in the Sivasagar district, described how quickly the surge destroyed entire communities. He said, “Only a few houses are left, and the rest washed away by the surging flood waters.” He explained that families now have to rebuild everything from scratch because all their crops and cattle were carried away by the river. He added, “The residents, mainly dairy farmers, have to rebuild their lives from scratch, having lost all their cattle.”
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Local government leaders acknowledged the massive scale of the damage across the region. Assam Agriculture and Irrigation Minister Pijush Hazarika stated after assessing affected districts, “We have directed officials to complete damage assessment as soon as possible so the government could provide financial assistance for their rehabilitation.” He noted that thousands of affected families were receiving initial monetary help to buy food, roofing materials, and medical supplies while waiting for floodwaters to pull back.
Every year during the monsoon season, heavy rains fall across India, but climate experts say these storms are getting much stronger and unpredictable. Great rivers swell beyond control and flood low-lying areas that used to be safe. When the waters finally start to go down, families return to find their homes buried under feet of thick mud and heavy silt. Until full aid reaches every remote corner, simple homemade banana rafts remain the most important tool for saving lives when sudden floods turn streets into deep rivers.
