The floods in Kerala, it is feared, are turning out to be a humanitarian crisis for the people of the northeastern States like Assam. With their dwelling places inundated and unemployment and poverty staring at their face, thousands of inter-State workers have fled the State. The sudden outflux of the workforce is snowballing into an economic crisis in their families with the drying up of income sources. A large number of workers who fled overnight were not even left with money for sustenance as they could not collect their wages or settle the wage arrears with their employers. Most of the dwelling places of these workers were in low-lying areas. Without power, food, drinking water and job, many decided to go back. Panic calls from the families too prompted the stranded workers to leave. The closing down of relief camps and the possible delay in the opening up of the employment sector too influenced the decision of workers, according to those working in the migrant labour sector. Thousands have lost their jobs in the construction and plantation sectors, rice mills, fish processing units and factories. Footloose workers were the worst-hit, said Benoy Peter, executive director, Centre for Migration and Inclusive Development, Kochi.