British Columbia·NewLocal broadcasters in Surrey, B.C., say they have raised nearly $3 million in aid for the families and victims affected by deadly floods in Punjab and its nearby Indian states.Surrey radio stations Connect FM and RED FM both held “radiothons” for India flood reliefKier Junos · CBC News · Posted: Sep 11, 2025 10:13 PM EDT | Last Updated: 17 minutes agoRED FM staff and community members in Surrey, B.C., pose with a cheque reflecting donations to support victims and families affected by deadly floods in Punjab, India. (RED FM)Surrey, B.C., broadcaster RED FM says it has raised more than $2 million in aid for the families and victims affected by deadly floods in the northwestern India state of Punjab and the surrounding region.Calling it a “radiothon,” RED FM news director Harjinder Singh Thind said the Sept. 5 fundraiser — like the station’s previous radiothons — spurred an outpouring of generosity from community members in Surrey and across Canada.”People’s excitement was amazing. People were coming here in studio, donating money, children were bringing their piggy banks and big, large amounts from the Punjabi [businesses],” said Thind.The fundraiser was also on air at RED FM’s sister stations in Calgary and Toronto.All the money is going to Sikhi Awareness Foundation International, which runs humanitarian programs in India.Connect FM, another Surrey broadcaster which also held a radiothon, said it raised around $750,000 dollars in partnership with Guru Nanak’s Free Kitchen Society on Monday.”The levels of water in Punjab are so high that you can’t even see the houses that have drowned under the water,” said Tejinder Singh, Connect FM’s strategy and operations director.Several regions in India are under a heavy rain watch this week according to the country’s weather service.The rainfall and flooding is also affecting Pakistani Punjab, where strong currents resulted in the death of five people in a capsized rescue boat over the weekend, according to Reuters. More than 800 people have reportedly been killed by floods in Pakistan since late June.At Connect FM, fundraiser volunteer Balbir Singh Pannu told CBC News his home village in India is completely submerged.”Right now, conditions are really, really bad because [there’s] lots of water over there, lots of animals dying,” said Pannu. “It’s very hard to provide food over there for animals and human beings.”Staff and volunteers at Connect FM’s radiothon on Sept. 8 pose with B.C. Premier David Eby. (Silvester Law)Pannu said the extent of the devastation will be uncovered when the flood waters drop.He said numerous villages and residents will be in a critical situation, with many needing medicine and medical care, including animals.ABOUT THE AUTHORKier is an award-winning journalist reporting for the CBC.With files from Sohrab Sandhu
Surrey, B.C., broadcasters raise nearly $3M to support India flood victims
