Marooned, stuck on a tree through the night, with no food, water to drink or help in sight – the 12-hour struggle of a woman and her son amid Assam’s floods is a storage of a mother’s courage, determination, and hope against all odds.
On July 19, relentless rainfall triggered flash floods in neighbouring Nagaland and inundated large parts of Charaideo and Sivasagar districts in Upper Assam. By evening, floodwaters submerged almost every corner of the affected areas.
The incident was reported in Holang Katoni village of Sivasagar district. Rekhamoni Gogoi found herself trapped as floodwaters rose rapidly, reaching chest level within an hour. With no escape in sight, she began crying out for help from her home.
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Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma tweeted, “We are extensively using Indian Air Force choppers to airlift relief material and airdrop it to the people. Based on our ground experience, we will try and attempt targeted drops in larger quantities so… pic.twitter.com/ZzfndhPFIx
— ANI (@ANI) July 25, 2026
Her neighbour, Kalpana Gogoi, heard her calls and asked her to come over. Rekhamoni, carrying her young son, rushed to Kalpana’s house, where three other women had also taken shelter.
But the rapidly rising water soon made it clear that even the house was no longer safe. Around 8 pm, realising that no rescue would arrive that night, the women decided to climb a large mango tree in the courtyard. The others helped Rekhamoni climb first with her son. The remaining women also took refuge on the tree.
“There was darkness all around us. There seemed to be no hope of survival, but I refused to lose courage. To save my son’s life, I decided to climb the tree. My aunt, Kalpana Gogoi, helped me. It was around 8 pm. My son and I took shelter on one of the branches of the huge mango tree in her courtyard. Later, Kalpana and the other women also climbed up. We had almost lost all hope,” Rekhamoni recalled.
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— ANI (@ANI) July 25, 2026
The group spent the entire night perched on the tree without food or drinking water. “From 8 pm until around 8 a.m. the next morning, we remained on the tree. My son’s life is more precious to me than my own. We were blessed with him after 12 years of marriage, so I was determined to protect him at any cost. At one point, my son even said we could survive by eating the tree’s leaves,” she said.
The ordeal finally ended the next morning when personnel from the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) reached the spot and rescued Rekhamoni, her son, and the other women from the tree.
The mother and son are currently staying at a relief camp, hoping to return to their home once the floodwaters recede and normalcy is restored.
