LUCKNOW, Oct. 17 -- : After nearly two weeks away from home, Faizullaganj residents are finding little to return to. Rotting furniture, ruined appliances, peeling wall plaster and the stench of overflowing septic tanks have turned their homes into uninhabitable spaces, leaving many struggling to come to terms with the loss.

For families who had locked their houses and moved to safer places, the damage has been devastating. Belongings accumulated over years have been destroyed, while filth and dampness continue to make homes difficult to live in.

Sushma, who lived with her family on the ground floor of a rented house in Gaur Bheet for two years, said almost everything inside had been damaged. Her husband, Rakesh, works with the Lucknow M...