India, Sept. 9 -- The flooding in Maharashtra's Raigad district this July was only part of the problem. A delayed monsoon had already depleted household fodder reserves. When the water arrived, it destroyed what little remained and left grazing areas covered in mud and silt. In just four villages we assessed in Mahad, more than 5,500 animals were severely affected, with at least 20 deaths reported amid inadequate feed availability and deteriorating conditions. During our assessment, farmers were cutting leaves from trees simply to keep their animals alive.

By then, the water had receded. But for many families and their animals, the disaster had not.

We saw different versions of the same cycle repeatedly in our work this year. Floodwater...