Helpless?

My gutt is sinking as I hear and read the news about the rains in Chennai. It's the land where I was raised. The land where I had my first friends and still have close family bonds. To see and hear that the same land is covered by 8ft of water is breaking my heart. People's houses being washed away, people infected and diseased, children lost and people dying-not news that I thought I would hear, all in a week. 
I've been waking up at 1am and 5am to check the news, Facebook and twitter, to see if people are being rescued from these flood zones and keep a tab on what the situation is in Chennai. I'm just not able to go back to proper sleep as my spirit is so disturbed and the panic of all these people rings loud in my ear. How can I sleep in peace when I know my people are in distress? 
I see organizations coming to offer help, doctors treating people with immediate care but how much can they do when their own communities are sinking. The families of the people who help out at our house are literally living in the stinky, smelly water; struggling to buy groceries, even milk. The thought of how they are going to feed their infant kids and care for their age-old parents makes me helpless. Imagine their plight! Listening to my friends talk about how the water has entered their neighborhoods and household things being washed away is so saddening. People are moving to other areas, some even out of the city to escape the wrath of what is yet to come.
Imagine these people having families in other countries. No internet, phone connections, flights or any electricity to communicate with the outside world. I know what that feels like. My family is in Chennai and they had no phone, TV or internet connections for two days. Watching all these horrific pictures on the media, my mind thought about my family and wanted to check on how they were doing. Although a little voice inside me said they are ok, my human mind went into shock, imagining the worst things possible. What if my family was affected by the rains? What if there was water inside the house? What if there was no one to help them get to higher ground? What if there was no way out of there? What if there was not enough food for the rest of the days? What if...?
The human mind is so powerful that it can make you fearful of things that you are unsure of. I was in that state. Full of fear. Not certain about what happened to my family. Finally, two days later I was able to call them. Thankfully, they are in a safe place, dry and on higher ground. Just hearing their voice brought back stability and peace. 
It's one thing to be in the place of action and able to help but it's another thing to be far away and try to imagine how things are. It's a horrible place to be in. My heart goes out to all the families who have been affected by the Chennai floods. Wherever you are, I pray that you will find comfort in the peace that passes all understanding. I pray that you will find rest, hope and comfort in the shelter of the almighty. I pray that you will find rescue from angels dispatched through the heavenly hosts. 
#PrayForChennai