More than 1 million people have now been evacuated from their homes amid what has been described as the worst flooding for a century in the southern Indian state of Kerala.

Stories of heroism have started to emerge as the monsoon rains finally eased off on Monday, but officials say more than 360 people have lost their lives in what has become a national crisis.

Special measures have been put in place since the prime minister, Narendra Modi, flew over the disaster-stricken region on Saturday, including the opening of military airbases for commercial flights and new powers for police to arrest anyone who refuses to evacuate their home.

But the “biggest heroes” were volunteer fishermen, who came inland from the coast in a fleet of around 600 boats to help rescue stranded villagers, according to the tourism minister KJ Alphons.

Each of the boats will be granted a reward of 3,000 rupees (£33) for providing assistance, the Keralan government said, while the state will also pay for the costs of repairing any boats damaged in the rescue effort.

Mr Alphons said that since the flooding began on 8 August, more than 1 million people had been given shelter in around 5,500 relief camps set up by the government across the state.

Many are spread across the coastal town of Alappuzha, and while most are in schools, at least one is on the grounds of a mosque, where Christians, Hindus and Muslims have all found food and a place to sleep. The state is one of the most religiously diverse in India.

The town itself sits on slightly higher ground and has escaped the worst of the flooding, but just a few kilometres out into the countryside the situation is far more serious.

“The water came almost up to my head,” said Ullas, a 48-year-old man who uses only one name, and who fled his village for the safety of the town.

He has no idea when he’ll be able to return. “We don’t know,” he said, as he helped distribute food in one relief centre. “It could take a month.”

Kerala floods: heavy monsoon rains lead to deaths in India Show all 40 1 /40 Kerala floods: heavy monsoon rains lead to deaths in India Kerala floods: heavy monsoon rains lead to deaths in India A man removes debris from a collapsed house after floods in Paravur Reuters Kerala floods: heavy monsoon rains lead to deaths in India An ariel shot of Kerala from Thiruvanpuram Getty Kerala floods: heavy monsoon rains lead to deaths in India Murgan and his family clean up their house in Mundancavu village at Chegannur upon returning home after the flood waters receded Getty Kerala floods: heavy monsoon rains lead to deaths in India People assess damage caused by floods on the outskirts of Kochi AP Kerala floods: heavy monsoon rains lead to deaths in India Men paddle their boat through the lawns of a partially submerged church at Kuttanad in Alleppey district Reuters Kerala floods: heavy monsoon rains lead to deaths in India Sandhya Biji and her son in front of their damaged house on the banks of Pamba river Getty Kerala floods: heavy monsoon rains lead to deaths in India Border Security Force distribute food food and water to the residents who are stuck in their houses as well who have not vacated houses because of the flood water in interior places at Allapy Getty Kerala floods: heavy monsoon rains lead to deaths in India A damaged house on the banks of Pamba river Getty Kerala floods: heavy monsoon rains lead to deaths in India Murgan cleaning up his house Getty Images Kerala floods: heavy monsoon rains lead to deaths in India An aerial view shows partially submerged houses at a flooded area in the southern state of Kerala Reuters Kerala floods: heavy monsoon rains lead to deaths in India Murgan and his family clean up their house Getty Images Kerala floods: heavy monsoon rains lead to deaths in India People are airlifted by the Indian Navy soldiers during a rescue operation Reuters Kerala floods: heavy monsoon rains lead to deaths in India People wait for aid on the roof of their house Reuters Kerala floods: heavy monsoon rains lead to deaths in India Indian volunteers and rescue personal evacuate local residents AFP/Getty Kerala floods: heavy monsoon rains lead to deaths in India Indian people use a boat to rescue an elderly man in the flooded water in Kochi EPA Kerala floods: heavy monsoon rains lead to deaths in India An aerial view shows partially submerged houses at a flooded area in the southern state of Kerala Reuters Kerala floods: heavy monsoon rains lead to deaths in India An Indian woman watches residents walking through flood streets next to their marooned houses AFP/Getty Kerala floods: heavy monsoon rains lead to deaths in India Indian army personal evacuate local residents AFP/Getty Kerala floods: heavy monsoon rains lead to deaths in India Indian commuters wade through flooded streets AFP/Getty Kerala floods: heavy monsoon rains lead to deaths in India People move past a flooded road in Thrissur AP Kerala floods: heavy monsoon rains lead to deaths in India Water gushes out following heavy rain and landslide in Kozhikode AP Kerala floods: heavy monsoon rains lead to deaths in India Fire and Rescue personnel evacuate local residents in an inflatable boat from a flooded area at Muppathadam near Eloor AFP/Getty Kerala floods: heavy monsoon rains lead to deaths in India Indian residents look at the Shiva Temple submerged AFP/Getty Kerala floods: heavy monsoon rains lead to deaths in India Roads and houses engulfed in water following heavy rain and landslide in Kozhikode. AP Kerala floods: heavy monsoon rains lead to deaths in India People look at vehicles stuck in the mud AFP/Getty Kerala floods: heavy monsoon rains lead to deaths in India A young man wades through a flooded street in Kochi EPA Kerala floods: heavy monsoon rains lead to deaths in India Rescue operations being conducted at the landslide location at Kuttampuzha AFP/Getty Images Kerala floods: heavy monsoon rains lead to deaths in India An elderly woman is rescued in a cooking utensil AP Kerala floods: heavy monsoon rains lead to deaths in India Local residents look at a partially destroyed house after heavy monsoon rains led to a landslide in Kannappankund AFP/Getty Images Kerala floods: heavy monsoon rains lead to deaths in India An Indian woman sits inside her house immersed in flood waters in Ernakulam district of Kochi AFP/Getty Images Kerala floods: heavy monsoon rains lead to deaths in India Indian fire and rescue personnel evacuate local resident AFP/Getty Images Kerala floods: heavy monsoon rains lead to deaths in India A woman stands at the door of her flooded home in Kochi EPA Kerala floods: heavy monsoon rains lead to deaths in India India residents stand on the shore as Periyar river flooded AFP/Getty Images Kerala floods: heavy monsoon rains lead to deaths in India An Indian man carries a basket of bananas next to houses immersed in flood waters AFP/Getty Images Kerala floods: heavy monsoon rains lead to deaths in India Laborers hailing from northern states wade through flood waters as they shift to higher ground AP Kerala floods: heavy monsoon rains lead to deaths in India Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan (L) along with opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala (2L) visit relief camp in Chengamanadu Government Higher Secondary School AFP/Getty Images Kerala floods: heavy monsoon rains lead to deaths in India Athirampally Falls EPA Kerala floods: heavy monsoon rains lead to deaths in India epa06939658 A structure is submerged in flood water following heavy rain in Kochi, Kerala state, India, 09 August 2018 (issued 10 August 2018). According to reports, the Indian state of Kerala has been hit by heavy rains, causing floods and killing at least 20 people. Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted heavy rain to continue on the 10 August. EPA/PRAKASH ELAMAKKARA PRAKASH ELAMAKKARA EPA Kerala floods: heavy monsoon rains lead to deaths in India Indian residents look at houses destroyed by flood waters at Kannappankundu AFP/Getty Images Kerala floods: heavy monsoon rains lead to deaths in India Kochi's International airport apron flooded AFP/Getty Images

From Supreme Court judges to sports stars and celebrities, offers of financial and material support have come in from all over the country.

One eight-year-old girl has made national headlines after asking her father to donate all her piggy bank savings, accumulated over four years, to the Kerala flooding victims. Anupriya, who lives in neighbouring Tamil Nadu state, had been saving up for a bicycle.

She told The Indian Express: “I saw the people suffering in the floods in Kerala. So I asked my father to give all the money I had saved in my piggy banks to them.” A popular bike brand, Hero Cycles, has since offered to reward Anupriya’s generosity and gift her a bicycle anyway.

With dozens still missing, the death toll from the floods is likely to rise further, and rescuers are still battling to reach some tens of thousands of stranded villagers.

Kerala’s chief minister, Pinarayi Vijayan, said there was no shortage of food in the state as traders had stocked up ahead of Onam, a Hindu harvest festival and the state’s biggest annual celebration, on 25 August. The state has now cancelled all official celebrations.

“The biggest challenges immediately ahead are cleaning of the flood-hit houses, rehabilitation, and prevention of waterborne diseases,” said Mahesh P, a village-level officer from Rayamangalam, some 45km from Kerala’s financial capital of Kochi.

Anil Vasudevan, who handles disaster management at Kerala’s health department, said the state was preparing to battle any outbreak of disease in the relief camps and preventive medicines were being distributed.

Mahesh said villagers had all pulled together to rescue people and prevent an even bigger disaster. “The bulk of the credit for the rescue goes to the ordinary citizens. The army, the navy, the local authorities assisted them,” he said.