Pakistani Flood Victims Need More Money And Relief Supplies

By Stephen Kaufman
Staff Writer

Washington - U.S. Ambassador to Pakistan Anne Patterson said Pakistani flood victims need "mostly money and relief supplies" from the international community, and both U.S. and U.N. officials warned about the possible spread of waterborne diseases in the country as the Indus River Valley continues to overflow due to torrential monsoons.

Patterson told National Public Radio August 16 that more countries are joining the United States in providing cash to local Pakistani disaster authorities, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and international organizations. So far, the United States has given $76 million in financial and humanitarian assistance, as well as provided military helicopters to help evacuate flood victims and deliver aid supplies.

According to press reports, Pakistani officials are saying that about 20 million people, or one-tenth of the population, have been affected by the flooding, and one-fifth of the country remains flooded.

"It's a disaster of really broad proportions. ... Unlike some of the other disasters here, it's affected most of the economic base of the country, with the exception of Karachi," Patterson said. "One of the truly striking elements of this is going to be the long-term economic impact of this disaster."

"Crops have been ruined, gas fields are shut in, power plants are flooded. So the long-term reconstruction cost is going to be very substantial," she said.

State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley said August 16 that four U.S. Marine Corps CH-46 Sea Knight helicopters had arrived in the country, bringing the number of U.S. military and civilian aircraft in Pakistan to 18. The helicopters were requested by the Pakistani government.

"We expect an additional eight helicopters to arrive in the next few days," he said. In addition, C-130 aircraft are delivering international aid throughout the country. He said two of the planes were expected to transport an estimated 52,000 pounds (23,600 kilos) of relief supplies August 16.

Since U.S. helicopters first arrived August 5, they have evacuated 4,613 people and delivered 515,113 pounds (233,650 kilos) of relief supplies, according to an August 16 State Department fact sheet.

The fact sheet says the Obama administration so far has provided a month's ration of food to more than 307,000 people through the World Food Programme. Among the U.S.-funded food rations, 440,928 halal meals were delivered to civilian and military officials in Pakistan within 36 hours of the initial flooding.

The United States has also provided 12 prefabricated steel bridges as temporary replacements for those that have washed out, 18 Zodiac rescue boats, six water filtration units that each can produce enough clean water for 10,000 people per day, a 25-kilowatt electric generator, 10 water storage bladders and 30 concrete-cutting saws, according to the fact sheet.

U.S. officials have been urging American citizens to join the relief effort. By texting "SWAT" to the number 50555, U.S.-based callers can make a $10 contribution that will help the United Nations provide tents, clothing, food, drinking water and medicine to Pakistani people displaced by the flooding. People can find more information and lists of organizations operating in Pakistan through the State Department website.

Cholera may be unavoidable, but controllable.

Mark Ward, the acting director of the Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), told the Reuters news agency August 14 that some of the U.S. helicopters may need to be used to transport people to treatment centers for waterborne illnesses.

Ward said a disease early-warning system set up by the World Health Organization can quickly detect cases of cholera and pinpoint where to direct clean water or other health resources.

Radio and text-messaging networks have been set up in the country to broadcast information on the importance of good hygiene and washing hands, he said.

One case of cholera was confirmed August 13 and several more are suspected, Ward said. "When you are dealing with this much water and that many people, it is almost unavoidable," he told Reuters, but "I think we can control this."

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon visited flood-affected areas of Pakistan on August 15. He told reporters in Islamabad that the scale of the disaster was the worst he has ever seen. "I have visited the scenes of many natural disasters around the world, but nothing like this," he said.

He thanked the many governments, organizations and individuals who have given their support to the relief efforts, but said more is needed from the international community to help the U.N. meet its goal of providing emergency health care to 14 million people, with special programs for children and pregnant women. The U.N. launched a flash appeal August 11 for $460 million for humanitarian assistance, rescue and relief.

"These unprecedented floods demand unprecedented assistance. The flood waves must be matched with waves of global support," Ban said. He announced that he has allocated an additional $10 million to the U.N.'s Central Emergency Response Fund, bringing the total to $27 million since the beginning of the crisis.

"We are all deeply concerned about the spread of diarrhea and other waterborne diseases. All our combined medical capacity will be needed to provide the right drugs and care. The United Nations will also distribute clean water for at least 6 million people. We have planned food assistance for a similar number," Ban said.

The secretary-general said he would be submitting a report to the U.N. General Assembly August 19 on the scale of the disaster and further assistance that is needed. Looking ahead to the country's eventual transition toward rehabilitation and reconstruction, Ban said he will convene a high-level ministerial meeting in Belgium on October 15 to discuss Pakistan's longer-term needs, and is also discussing the possibility of having a high-level meeting on the margins of the Millennium Development Goals summit meeting in September at the United Nations.