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The Indian American volunteer organizations, who began relief efforts days before Hurricane Florence hit North and South Carolina and Virginia, say they are unable to reach stranded people due to severe flooding on the roadways.

Florence began as a Category 4 hurricane on August 31 but diminished to a Category 1 as it hit North Carolina September 14.

Severe flooding has led to compulsory evacuations in several portions of North and South Carolina. At least 37 people have been killed and an estimated 15,000 others have been rendered homeless.

Warnings of surge have been put into consequence in galore regions with warnings of flood water cresting as high as 40 feet. Damage is estimated at over $17 billion.

Indian American North Carolina state Senator Jay Chaudhuri told a media source: "Although my Senate District largely avoided damage from Hurricane Florence, it has devastated many parts of the state, including Southeastern North Carolina, where I grew up."

"To date, we've had 1,100 road closings, including two major interstates, and 4,000 people have been rescued. As with Hurricane Harvey, the rebuilding effort will take a long time. But, I am confident that the Indian American community will rise and meet this challenge in partnership with so many other communities across this great state," said Chaudhuri.

Swadesh Katoch, director of disaster relief at Sewa International, told India-West that his volunteer team had been mobilized days before the hurricane hit. "We knew the impact would be huge," said the Indian American community activist, noting that hotels quickly got booked, leaving people with no place to go.

Hindu temples in Raleigh and Charlotte, North Carolina, have opened their doors to anyone needing emergency shelter, said Katoch, noting that the organization has set up a hotline for anyone hit hard by Florence: 413-648-SEWA.

"We are especially concerned about the vulnerable population such as people who are home-bound, sick, or have very young children," said Sree Sreenath, president of SEWA International, in a press statement.

The organization is still working on relief efforts in Kerala that hit last month by the heaviest flooding in over a century and has managed to rescue 76,000 people in the state.

During Hurricane Katrina and Irma, SEWA rendered disaster relief and has conducted relief operations in Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic.

The next step is relief operations: cleaning up homes damaged by the disaster; medical camps staffed by volunteer Indian American doctors, and other immediate needs. The organization then works on long-term rehabilitation efforts to rebuild communities.

Currently, United Sikhs is providing emergency supplies, such as sanitary products, food, - including diapers - and potable water.

"The death toll here is minimal, but there is lots of loss of property. Lives have been changed forever," said Pushpinder Singh, of the United Sikhs.

"There are tremendous challenges here; we hope we can make a significant impact," added Singh.

Indian American Parminder Kaur Dhillon, who lives in Raleigh, North Carolina, told that her area was not significantly impacted by the hurricane.

By Sowmya Sangam