Massive floods across Pakistan | Thousands Killed

[humanfirst]

Guys how is the situation now?are the rains subsiding?

 

[ice_man]

i have a question for all my brothers on this forum!

WHAT HAVE YOU DONE SPECIFICALLY FOR THIS FLOOD?? I AM SURE MOST OF THE PEOPLE WHO GO TO UNIVERSITY & SCHOOLS ARE OFF!! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE SPECIFICALLY YET? JUST A QUESTION.....

 

[fawwaxs]

Aye Rab-ul- Izaat Hamare Mulk Pay reham farma de ( Ameen )

We should donate our Zakaat to these needy and helpless people. Moreover we should say astaghfar so that Allah bestow us with his mercy. Ameen!

 

[Patriot]

I would like to thank US , UK & China for all the aid they gave.

 

[GentlemanObserver]

i have a question for all my brothers on this forum!

WHAT HAVE YOU DONE SPECIFICALLY FOR THIS FLOOD?? I AM SURE MOST OF THE PEOPLE WHO GO TO UNIVERSITY & SCHOOLS ARE OFF!! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE SPECIFICALLY YET? JUST A QUESTION.....

What i have done is between me and god. I would rather not publicise my efforts, what would be the point in such charity?

 

[fawwaxs]

The enormous destruction of the economic and social infrastructure by floods over the last few weeks has set the country back by many years. The exact costs will not be known for some time but the losses are estimated to have already far exceeded the damage done by the 2005 earthquake. The United Nations says Pakistan requires millions of dollars for rescue and relief operations and billions for reconstruction of the flood-hit infrastructure. The scale of destruction is feared to jeopardise Pakistan’s ability to salvage its fragile economy for many years to come and weaken its capacity to tackle key challenges, including poverty alleviation and the threat of militancy.

 

[fawwaxs]

UN to launch appeal for flood disaster

SUKKUR: The United Nations is launching an appeal to help 13.8 million people hit by one of the world's worst humanitarian disasters after floods paralysed parts of Pakistan and raised fears of disease.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said the disaster had eclipsed the scale of the devastating 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, the 2005 earthquake in Pakistan and the January 2010 earthquake in Haiti put together.

About 1.5 million people have been evacuated in the south and 1.5 million hectares of valuable farmland destroyed in central Punjab province while the worst hit has been the northwest, already struggling with Taliban violence.

“We will soon issue an... appeal for several hundred million dollars to respond to immediate needs,” UN chief Ban Ki-moon announced.

The Pakistani government and UN officials have appealed for more urgent relief efforts to cope with the catastrophe, saying that billions of dollars will be needed to restore livelihoods and rebuild infrastructure.

Parts of the northwestern Swat valley, where Pakistan fought a major campaign to flush out Taliban insurgents last year, were still cut off Tuesday by road as were parts of the country's breadbasket in Punjab and Sindh.

“This is a major disaster of enormous magnitude,” said UN emergency relief coordinator John Holmes.

“Needs are huge and still rising. The humanitarian effort needs to be scaled up accordingly, as fast as we can.”

Weather cleared Tuesday, allowing 23 Pakistani, and six US military and four Afghan helicopters to help distribute relief items and rescue people stranded in the northwest, said one military official.

OCHA spokesman Maurizio Giuliano said the 13.8 million affected outstripped the more than three million hit by the 2005 earthquake, five million in the 2004 tsunami and the three million affected by the Haiti earthquake in January.

The United Nations has warned that children are among the most vulnerable with diarrhoea the biggest health threat and measles a serious concern.

The world body estimates 1,600 people have died in Pakistan's floods and the Pakistani government has confirmed 1,243 deaths. About 220,000 were killed in the December 2004 tsunami in Asia.

In the south, Sindh provincial irrigation minister, Jam Saifullah Dharejo, said 1.5 million people had been evacuated from affected areas.

There are warnings in towns and cities for people to remain on alert, but water levels were beginning to drop at the Guddu barrage and the meteorological office has forecast scattered rain in the next 24 hours.

“The danger is still there. The army is doing its best to strengthen embankments along the river and canals,” Dharego told AFP.

Ban also stressed the need to consider medium- and long-term assistance to Pakistan, warning that this “will be a major and protracted task.”Food prices are skyrocketing, compounding the misery as the floods ravage the country's most fertile lands and wipe out crops.

“Roads are closed. Fields are under water and it has affected the markets badly,” Amir Zada, 35, a fruit and vegetable seller in the garrison city of Rawalpindi.

The UN said donors have already provided 38.2 million dollars while a further 90.9 million has been promised, but on the ground Islamic charities with suspected extremist links have been far more visible in the relief effort.

US military helicopters supporting relief and rescue operations have rescued more than 1,000 people, the White House said Monday.

In the northern Sindh city of Sukkur, fears were rising that flood waters would reach town despite reassurances from the authorities.

“For the last three nights I have not have a good sleep as the water level in the river is constantly increasing. I do not know whether it is safe here or not,” shopkeeper Allah Rakhio told AFP.

Survivors have lashed out at authorities for failing to come to their rescue, piling pressure on Pakistan's cash-strapped administration straining to contain Taliban violence and an economic crisis.

President Asif Ali Zardari courted massive criticism for not returning from Britain and France at a time of national disaster. On Monday, he stopped off in Syria for talks with President Bashar al-Assad. – AFP

 

[GUNNER]

Pakistan floods: supercharged jet stream 'causing flooding'

A highly-charged jet stream is contributing to the worse floods Pakistan has seen in decades, meteorologists have said

The jet stream, a massive ring of high speed winds, is moving quicker than usual over north western Pakistan, causing wet monsoon air to be sucked faster and higher into the atmosphere.

The stream, which is normally too high to affect every day weather but does influence large scale weather patterns by shifting the atmosphere around, is "supercharging" the monsoon, leading to some of the heaviest rainfall in memory.

Scientists say the hyperactive jet stream is also causing deadly landslides in China and the drought in Russia, which is leading to wildfires.

The stream has split in two with one section heading north over Russia and the other going south over the Himalayas into Pakistan. In Russia the stream is inhaling some of the country's hottest temperatures on record and spreading them quickly, causing the fires.

Experts say it is very unusual for the stream to head that far south.

 

[Solomon2]

Last night my family informed me that 13 trucks left Islamabad and Karachi packed full of aid supplies including food,water and NFI: Non Food Items. 7 have been earmarked and will be handed over to the Sindh response the remaining from Islamabad will be heading to the KP -

That's pretty decent for a private charity, but puny for a government effort.

It will be a test for the entire nation.

Yes. And so far, with Pakistan's president on the Riviera, Pakistan's PM bawling for foreign aid, Pakistan's relief commissioner avoiding the media, Pakistan's wealthy and industry leaders quiet, and the army apparently yet to redeploy such heavy equipment as tractors and transporters, do you really think Pakistan will make the grade?

 

[GentlemanObserver]

That's pretty decent for a private charity, but puny for a government effort.

Yes. And so far, with Pakistan's president on the Riviera, Pakistan's PM bawling for foreign aid, Pakistan's relief commissioner avoiding the media, Pakistan's wealthy and industry leaders quiet, and the army apparently yet to redeploy such heavy equipment as tractors and transporters, do you really think Pakistan will make the grade?

Let time be the judge...

 

[GentlemanObserver]

 

[Solomon2]

Let time be the judge...

In the meantime, why not make an effort? For example, those UK-produced blue kits posted a few pages back that contain supplies for ten, why not use your connections to find out if they can be produced in short order under license in Pakistan? If only the heaviest low-tech components can be made locally, it would still make sense to manufacture them in Pakistan and fly in only the high-tech items like aluminized blankets to add to the kits when they are assembled.

 

[GentlemanObserver]

 

[GentlemanObserver]

US Dispatches Elite DART team to Pakistan:
U.S. Dispatches Disaster Assistance Team (08/09/2010) - U.S. Embassy Islamabad, Pakistan

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BTW where the hell is the civilian rescue services of Pakistan. Where are our fancy rescue teams that are soo eager to come on tv?

 

[GentlemanObserver]

In the meantime, why not make an effort? For example, those UK-produced blue kits posted a few pages back that contain supplies for ten, why not use your connections to find out if they can be produced in short order under license in Pakistan? If only the heaviest low-tech components can be made locally, it would still make sense to manufacture them in Pakistan and fly in only the high-tech items like aluminized blankets to add to the kits when they are assembled.

Already working on it ... But yeah agree with this post!