From August 7 to 10, 2006, Surat faced an unprecedented flood. Armed with previous experience, the state authorities rushed rescue teams to the city on August 7 itself, though many of them could enter the city only after the flood waters receded. When compared with disasters in the past, the response was rapid. Over a thousand health personnel were deployed in these teams, which had a mix of medical college faculty and senior state and district health care personnel.