Pakistani PM Joins UN Plea For Help To Cope With 'Worst Ever' Floods As U.S. Sends $30 Million
People affected by flooding wait for relief in in Pakistan's Sindh Province on August 28.
The United Nations has issued a flash appeal for $160 million in emergency funding to help Pakistan cope with catastrophic floods that the country's leadership calls the worst in its history.
The flooding has killed more than 1,100 people and destroyed infrastructure and crops, and officials say as much as one-third of the country is underwater.
"Pakistan is awash in suffering," UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said in a video message on August 30 for the launch of the appeal in Islamabad and Geneva.
"The Pakistani people are facing a monsoon on steroids -- the relentless impact of epochal levels of rain and flooding."
He said the scale of needs, with millions of people forced from their homes, schools and health facilities destroyed and livelihoods shattered by the climate catastrophe, required the world’s collective and prioritized attention.
In Pictures: Pakistan's Lethal Floods
In Pictures: Pakistan's Lethal Floods
1/18The rains that began in June have destroyed swaths of vital crops and damaged or destroyed more than a million homes, such as these in Balochistan Province.
The death toll from widespread flooding in Pakistan triggered by "monster monsoons" has surpassed 1,100 people and will lead to economic losses of at least $10 billion, officials in Islamabad said.
2/18A woman salvages her belongings near a makeshift home surrounded by water in Sohbatpur.
The death toll from widespread flooding in Pakistan triggered by "monster monsoons" has surpassed 1,100 people and will lead to economic losses of at least $10 billion, officials in Islamabad said.
3/18Because roads and bridges like this one in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Province are being washed away, authorities and NGOs are finding it difficult to reach more than 33 million people affected by the floods.
The death toll from widespread flooding in Pakistan triggered by "monster monsoons" has surpassed 1,100 people and will lead to economic losses of at least $10 billion, officials in Islamabad said.
4/18With dry land limited, displaced people like this man in Mehar are seeking elevated positions to escape the flooded plains.
The death toll from widespread flooding in Pakistan triggered by "monster monsoons" has surpassed 1,100 people and will lead to economic losses of at least $10 billion, officials in Islamabad said.
5/18"We don't even have space to cook food. We need help," Rimsha Bibi, a schoolgirl in Dera Ghazi Khan in central Pakistan, told the AFP news agency.
The death toll from widespread flooding in Pakistan triggered by "monster monsoons" has surpassed 1,100 people and will lead to economic losses of at least $10 billion, officials in Islamabad said.
6/18The summer monsoon season often brings with it torrential rains that are needed for agriculture in areas such as Dera Allah Yar, in Balochistan.
The death toll from widespread flooding in Pakistan triggered by "monster monsoons" has surpassed 1,100 people and will lead to economic losses of at least $10 billion, officials in Islamabad said.
7/18However, this years monsoons have caused widespread misery, killing hundreds of people and devastating livestock and crops.
The death toll from widespread flooding in Pakistan triggered by "monster monsoons" has surpassed 1,100 people and will lead to economic losses of at least $10 billion, officials in Islamabad said.
8/18Pakistani officials have blamed climate change, which is increasing the frequency and intensity of extreme weather around the world, for the destruction in areas such as the city of Sohbat Pur (pictured) in Baluchistan Province.
The death toll from widespread flooding in Pakistan triggered by "monster monsoons" has surpassed 1,100 people and will lead to economic losses of at least $10 billion, officials in Islamabad said.
9/18Compared to more affluent countries, Pakistan emits only a fraction of the greenhouse gases that are warming the world, yet it suffers outsized damage.
The death toll from widespread flooding in Pakistan triggered by "monster monsoons" has surpassed 1,100 people and will lead to economic losses of at least $10 billion, officials in Islamabad said.
10/18For families such as this one in Sohbatpur, in southwestern Balochistan Province, the nonstop rains have raised the possibility of food shortages during what is expected to be the most damaging monsoon season in recent memory.
The death toll from widespread flooding in Pakistan triggered by "monster monsoons" has surpassed 1,100 people and will lead to economic losses of at least $10 billion, officials in Islamabad said.
11/18"To see the devastation on the ground is really mind-boggling," Pakistani Climate Change Minister Sherry Rehman told AFP.
The death toll from widespread flooding in Pakistan triggered by "monster monsoons" has surpassed 1,100 people and will lead to economic losses of at least $10 billion, officials in Islamabad said.
12/18"When we send in water pumps, they say 'Where do we pump the water?' It's all one big ocean, there's no dry land to pump the water out." Rehman added.
The death toll from widespread flooding in Pakistan triggered by "monster monsoons" has surpassed 1,100 people and will lead to economic losses of at least $10 billion, officials in Islamabad said.
13/18An overview shows fields and homes along the Indus River before flooding, in Rojhan on March 24.
The death toll from widespread flooding in Pakistan triggered by "monster monsoons" has surpassed 1,100 people and will lead to economic losses of at least $10 billion, officials in Islamabad said.
14/18The same location showing the Indus River during flooding on August 28.
Pakistan's meteorological office says the country as a whole had been deluged with twice the usual monsoon rainfall, but Balochistan and Sindh provinces had seen more than four times the average of the last three decades.
The death toll from widespread flooding in Pakistan triggered by "monster monsoons" has surpassed 1,100 people and will lead to economic losses of at least $10 billion, officials in Islamabad said.
15/18The disaster could not have come at a worse time for Pakistan, where the economy is in free fall and an already struggling population are now lining up to receive food delivered by the Pakistani Army.
The death toll from widespread flooding in Pakistan triggered by "monster monsoons" has surpassed 1,100 people and will lead to economic losses of at least $10 billion, officials in Islamabad said.
16/18The floods have made Pakistan's already dire need for international assistance worse. The government is attempting to help by compensating individuals who have been impacted, like these women in Sukkur, Sindh Province.
The death toll from widespread flooding in Pakistan triggered by "monster monsoons" has surpassed 1,100 people and will lead to economic losses of at least $10 billion, officials in Islamabad said.
17/18Woman and children eat food distributed by a charity in Sukkur, Sindh Province.
In the midst of the massive flooding, international aid has started to arrive in Pakistan. On August 28, cargo planes from Turkey and the United Arab Emirates arrived with tents, food, and other supplies.
The death toll from widespread flooding in Pakistan triggered by "monster monsoons" has surpassed 1,100 people and will lead to economic losses of at least $10 billion, officials in Islamabad said.
18/18Flood victims stand next to their tents in Mehar on August 29.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged the world to come to Pakistan's aid as he launched a $160 million appeal to help the tens of millions affected by the disaster. "Let's stop sleepwalking towards the destruction of our planet by climate change. Today, it's Pakistan. Tomorrow, it could be your country," he said.
The death toll from widespread flooding in Pakistan triggered by "monster monsoons" has surpassed 1,100 people and will lead to economic losses of at least $10 billion, officials in Islamabad said.
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Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif called the flooding "the worst in the history of Pakistan" and said "the damage to our infrastructure is vast and is spread all over" the country.
Authorities say they were using military planes, helicopters, trucks, and boats to evacuate stranded people and distributed relief goods among those affected.
The flooding, triggered by heavy monsoon rains since mid-June, has damaged 1 million houses and affected more than 33 million people.
Sharif repeated a call for international assistance to help Pakistanis in crisis.
"I want to give my solemn pledge and solemn commitment...[that] every penny will be spent in a very transparent fashion. Every penny will reach the needy," Sharif said.
Although rains stopped three days ago and floodwaters in some areas were receding, large areas remain submerged.
The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) announced on August 30 that the United States was donating $30 million in additional funds to help Pakistan.
It said one of its disaster-management specialists had arrived in Islamabad and would prioritize urgently needed support for food, safe water, nutrition, sanitation and hygiene, and shelter assistance.
According to initial government estimates, the devastation caused $10 billion in damage to the economy.
According to the National Disaster Management Authority, at least 498,000 people in the country of 220 million are in relief camps after being displaced.
Pakistan started receiving international aid this week, and more planes carrying aid from Turkey and the United Arab Emirates landed at an airport near Islamabad on August 30, according to a statement released by the military.
It said Chinese planes carrying aid will also arrive in Pakistan later in the day.
Pakistan has also deployed at least 6,500 soldiers to help authorities in rescue and relief operations.
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