How a 97-year-old escaped deadly Indian floods on a banana raft

She had never imagined the water would reach her doorstep. But when it did, the flood threatened not only her home, but the livelihood she had spent years building.Baruah was once a full-time journalist. In 2016, she left the profession to take up animal husbandry, and three years later was named Assam's 'Best Livestock Farmer'.Her farm grew to around 300 goats, 500 ducks and 1,000 chickens, along with fish. The flood destroyed much of it.She says she lost most of her goats, 300 ducks, 300 chickens and a sizeable amount of fish, as well as the machine she used to make animal feed. Furniture, laptops, vehicles and the family's collection of books were also destroyed.None of her livestock was insured. "There is no insurance system here for livestock, especially goats," she says.The first warning came on 17 July, when the Jhanji river began to rise. Two days later, the Dikhow and Mitong spilled into surrounding areas as the Brahmaputra and its tributaries swelled rapidly.Several rivers breached their embankments, Baruah says, sending powerful currents through towns and villages.About a day after the water began rising, she and her family abandoned their home. By then, the water inside the house was four feet deep. They spent the next 10 days in a relief camp.