Dear jay, Families in south Pakistan held their breath as they prepared for more flooding that has left at least 4 million in the country homeless. So far, more people have been impacted by this flooding than the 2004 Tsunami, 2005 Pakistan Earthquake and 2010 Haiti Earthquake combined. At least 20 million people! Many live without shelter, clean water or food as they wait for help. Flooding has been devastating the country for three weeks now, and people's lives have been turned upside down. American Refugee Committee staff is on the ground, working hard to provide much-needed medical care, clean water and other necessities. Help us offer lifesaving assistance. Donate now. 
Photo: A Pakistani family wades through floodwaters to safety (courtesy: Reuters, alertnet.org Andrees Latif)
Emergency Response Team Leader Jill McGrath Jones sent us an update from Pakistan:
I'm sure you are seeing in the news just how dire the conditions are here. It is a continuing crisis, with families lacking shelter, food, water and access to care. ARC mobile health teams have been working since day one. We continue to see daily rises in acute diarrhea; cholera has been confirmed; and skin and eye infections continue to rise, as does upper respiratory infection. Snake bites are an additional issue in Balochistan, and there have been several deaths related to it.
ARC is expanding its programming to the south, Balochistan and Sindh, where rivers are still flooding. In some areas there is 100 percent crop loss, as well as massive losses to agricultural fields and seed stocks. Livestock has been greatly diminished. In the coming month, unless more planting can occur, there will be a prolonged food crisis even as waters recede.
It’s hard to describe what I saw in Sibi and in Swat on two field visits last week. At our basic health unit in Sukton Kot in Sibi, water surrounded the clinic, and families were lined up to see the doctor for a variety of ailments. Many children were outside, but none was playing; they just seemed to be quietly waiting. This lack of play in a large group of children speaks to the trauma they are bearing. We provided many of them with small hygiene kits with soap and detergent, and will be bringing in psychosocial programming and counselors as we scale up our program.
In Swat the waters were still swiftly flowing up to the road, and major bridges and electric towers were down. Our teams continue to respond through our basic health units and through medical camps set up near the open areas where people are currently living. As I left the area, I drove by a peach orchard that was still standing, the trees bursting with fruit…it was a welcome and happy sign.
I will continue to provide updates.
- Jill
People in Pakistan are desperate for aid. Please help by making a donation now. Your assistance will mean more than you can imagine. Thanks for your support.
Sincerely, - Daniel Daniel Wordsworth
President, American Refugee Committee
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