Operation Surya Hope was the Indian Army ’s Central Command response to the June 2013 North India floods in Uttarakhand . The Uttarakhand flood was caused by record off-season monsoon rains , cloud burst , floods , flash floods , and glacier lake outburst floods ( GLOFs ) , which were possibly induced by climate change . The humanitarian disaster affected millions , stranded over 100,000 pilgrims and tourists in Himalayan religious sites , and killed several thousand people . The Indian Army 's Lucknow based Central Command conducted the operation . Surya or Sun , is the emblem of the Central Command and features prominently on the Command 's formation sign and flag , which is probably why Central Command chose to name the effort Operation Surya Hope
2013 North India floods
2013 North India floods
Operation Surya Hope