Tip:
Highlight text to annotate it
X
Global outpouring continues for Pakistan. After the devastating floods that have now
been estimated to have displaced over 20 million people, with 1,600 people who have lost their
lives, further assessment reveals that the massive flooding has destroyed millions of
acres of crops. With about 600,000 tons of wheat, 2 million bales of cotton and 500,000
tons of sugar all gone, food prices are skyrocketing.
(In English) Abdullah Hussain Haroon, Pakistan’s Ambassador
to the UN: I think a lot of us haven’t understood the scale of this disaster. It is horrendous.
It is going to put us back so many years that we’re not even starting on the infrastructure.
But cholera is breaking out, that is going to be very dangerous. Drinking water and the
sachet’s for purifying it are going to become very important over the next few days.
To help alleviate the people’s plight, the European Union has donated €10 million in
addition to €30 million given about two weeks ago. Germany announced an additional
amount of US$13 million to go toward providing water and sanitation measures, while His Majesty
King Mohammed VI of Morocco sent 12 tons of humanitarian aid by plane. Pakistan’s neighbor
Afghanistan sent 4.5 tons of medicine, a team of 23 doctors and nine helicopters to provide
aid in the hard-hit Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province. Assistance is also being provided by the Malaysian
Medical Relief Society (MERCY), who is sending urgent personnel and 1,000 hygiene kits. Meanwhile,
His Highness the Emir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah of Kuwait has donated US$5
million for the afflicted and the Kuwait Red Crescent Society (KRCS) arrived with thousands
of tons of relief supplies such as tents, plastic sheets and other relief goods.
(In English) Peter Crowley, UNICEF Representative for Afghanistan:
What we’re doing here is, we’re loading supplies to be taken from Kabul to support
the UNICEF response to the flood emergency in Pakistan. Specifically what we are loading
this afternoon are packets of oral re-hydration solution, which are intended to help protect
children against the danger of diarrhea which commonly spreads after such flooding
Saudi Arabia continues with a second phase of urgent relief aid that is being airlifted
into Lahore and Multan, and the United States has sent 19 helicopters and about 1,000 troops
to aid victims as well as donating US$76 million in relief aid to date. The Iranian government
has dispatched 140 tons of food, shelter and medical supplies so far via the Iranian Red
Crescent Society, while non-governmental organizations such as Canada’s Presbyterian World Service
and Development collaborated with Canadian Foodgrains Bank to give over 25,000 people
food packages enough for 2 months in the province of Balochistan. Another relief organization
is the US-based Direct Relief International, which is donating US$5 million in medical
aid. Financial institutions are also pitching in, such as the Islamic Development Bank which
has approved of a grant donation of US$11 million for Pakistan’s flood relief.
(In English) Sir John H olmes, UN Emergency Relief Coordinator:
It is clear we still have a very long way to go to reach all those affected, but the
effort is increasing every day as UN and non UN organizations scale up their presence and
their capacities and increase their ability to support the government.
We are deeply touched by the outpouring of love and assistance from around the world.
Heaven bless all the kindhearted donors as we pray for the comfort and soon recovery
of the Pakistani people as we seek to minimize such tragedies through our kinder regard for
all life�