Massive floods across Pakistan | Thousands Killed

[GUNNER]

U.S. triples helicopters for Pakistan flood relief

Florida (Reuters) - The United States announced on Wednesday more helicopters and aid to beef up relief efforts in Pakistan, which is grappling with its worst floods in 80 years.

Defense Secretary Robert Gates said the U.S. military was tripling the number of helicopters in Pakistan from six to 19 and was sending in a landing platform to be used off the coast of Karachi, Pakistan's biggest city.

President Barack Obama wanted to "lean forward" in being helpful, said Gates, who voiced concern that Islamist militants would seek to expand their influence by giving much-needed aid while Pakistan's civilian government struggled to reach victims.

"It does offer them (militants) an opportunity and so we are pleased to do what we can to help the Pakistani government and military demonstrate their capacity and their intention to care for their own people." Gates told reporters traveling with him to Florida.

"We will do what we can," he added.

The United States, which has already committed $55 million to Pakistani flood relief efforts, also announced it was contributing another $16.2 million to the United Nations refugee agency and the International Red Cross for emergency assistance to flood victims.

"I would expect we'll have a higher contribution to make as we understand what exactly is needed," State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley told a news briefing.

Gates said the USS Peleliu, with about 19 helicopters on board, was already off the coast of Karachi. Six helicopters initially sent to Pakistan to assist relief efforts would return back to neighboring Afghanistan, he said.

The additional airlift capacity had been requested by the Pakistanis to deal with the floods, which raised fears for the prospects of the nuclear-armed U.S. ally already battling a deadly militancy.

SECURITY WORRIES

Asked how the floods could impact security in Pakistan, Gates said: "It remains to be seen. It really depends on how many troops they have to use," said Gates. "Clearly they are going to have to divert some troops, and already have, to deal with the flooding."

"We were not expecting them to undertake new offensives for some period of time anyway," he added.

 

[Jigs]

Turkey to send humanitarian aid to flood-hit Pakistan - People's Daily Online
Turkey will send another package of humanitarian aid to flood-struck Pakistan, the Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Wednesday.

"Turkish relief agency, the Red Crescent, and the Ministry of Health have provided the aid material requested by Pakistan in an effort to heal the wounds of the worst flood disaster in the history of the Pakistani nation," the statement said.

"The aid will be sent to Pakistan by three cargo planes of the Turkish Airlines on Aug. 13 and 17. Turkey will continue extending support to Pakistan in this difficult period," the statement added.

Earlier, Turkey's Red Crescent distributed 35 tones of humanitarian aid consisting of food packages, blankets, sleeping bags and beds to the victims of the disaster. Turkey also donated 5 million U.S. dollars to Pakistan.

Floods triggered by heavy monsoon rain have scoured Pakistan's Indus river basin, killing more than 1,600 people, forcing two million others to leave their homes and disrupting the lives of about 14 million people.

 

[GUNNER]

Rawalpindi - August 12, 2010:

A special Corps Commanders’ Conference was held today at General Headquarters to review flood situation in the Country and ongoing relief and rescue activities by the Army. Chief of Army Staff, General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani chaired the meeting.

Participants took comprehensive overview of the flood situation and ongoing relief and rescue operations by the Army. COAS expressed deep sorrow over loss of precious lives and damages caused to private property and public infrastructure by the unprecedented floods. He directed the formations to continue reaching out to the marooned people and emphasized that the dearth of resources must be overcome through personal sacrifices and smart management.

He announced that Army functions on 14th August and 6th September will not be held this year and savings thus accrued will be utilized for relief activities.

COAS appreciated the assiduous efforts of all field formations and Army Aviation in-particular. COAS stated that Army will continue to work round the clock and at full capacity to assist the civil administration and National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) in providing relief to the affected countrymen. He expressed his full faith and commitment that through a joint National effort, Pakistan will successfully surmount this challenge.

 

[xenia]

Zardari Visits Pakistan’s Flood Zone as Relief Needs Grow

August 12, 2010, 8:01 AM EDT

By Khurrum Anis

Aug. 12 (Bloomberg) -- Pakistan’s President Asif Ali Zardari made his first visit to regions swamped by the country’s worst ever floods as relief officials appealed for urgent deliveries of food, shelters and medicine for 14 million displaced people.

Zardari toured the Sukkur dam in southern Sindh province, state-run Pakistan Television reported, to see the damage first hand, after being criticized by the opposition for proceeding with a trip to Europe as the floods spread. Zardari’s hometown is in the region.

As the United Nations launched an appeal for $460 million in emergency aid, Pakistani officials underscored the urgency of the relief operation as fears of disease outbreaks grow.

“We need relief supplies immediately, not today, not tomorrow but right now,” Ahmed Kamal, spokesman for the National Disaster Management Authority, said by phone from Islamabad, the capital.

Mosquito nets, tents and tarpaulins, kits to prevent cholera, ready-to-eat meals and water-purifying tablets are all needed as the catastrophe that has killed at least 1,600 people enters its third week. Pakistan’s resources “will run out in the next 25 days, or if we can stretch them, in the next 40 days,” Kamal said.

Flood surges triggered by unprecedented monsoon rains have swept south along the 3,200-kilometer (2,000-mile) long Indus River, devastating low-lying areas of Punjab and Sindh provinces, the densely populated economic and agricultural heartland of Pakistan, damaging 722,000 homes. About 700,000 hectares of standing crops, including rice and cotton, are under water or destroyed by floodwaters, the Food and Agriculture Organization has said.

Zardari Visits Pakistan’s Flood Zone as Relief Needs Grow - BusinessWeek

 

[linkinpark]

Why are we less generous towards Pakistan than we were to Haiti?

By David Hughes

Sir Nick Young, chairman of the British Red Cross, was the soul of discretion on the Today programme this morning when discussing the Disaster Emergency Committee’s fund-raising for the Pakistan flood disaster. Pressed repeatedly on whether the public was proving less generous over this disaster than it has been in the past, he refused to rise to the bait and insisted that the public response was immensely generous.

In fact, the figures tell a very different story. The DEC has raised £7 million for Pakistan in the first week of the appeal. That is an impressive figure – until you compare the donations made after the Haiti earthquake early this year. In the first week, the British public raised £42 million, precisely seven times as much. Why the discrepancy? The scale of the destruction and the death toll in Haiti were both immense while in Pakistan the death toll has been far, far lower. Yet the UN has classified it as the biggest natural disaster ever recorded in terms of the number of people affected. AP carried this report on Monday:

The number of people suffering from the massive floods in Pakistan exceeds 13 million — more than the combined total of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, the 2005 Kashmir earthquake and the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the United Nations said Monday. The death toll in each of those three disasters was much higher than the 1,500 people killed so far in the floods that first hit Pakistan two weeks ago. But the U.N. estimates that 13.8 million people have been affected — over 2 million more than the other disasters combined.

There can be no doubting the biblical scale of the disaster – so why the relative reluctance to give? There’s no doubt that a big part of the problem was the shockingly crass behaviour of Pakistan’s president Asif Ali Zardari who was swanning around Europe while his country was struggling with its biggest ever crisis. If he couldn’t be bothered to do anything, then why should we?

But I suspect it runs deeper than Zardari’s spectacular stupidity. The image of Pakistan in this country has never been lower. The 7/7 bomb attacks of 2005 and the foiling of numerous subsequent plots has inextricably linked Pakistan with terrrorism. Could this have led people to turn a deaf ear to appeals for help?

 

[linkinpark]

I agree with the author, it is most likely due to the impression in the minds of western people that Pakistan is linked to terrorism in their countries and the loss of their troops in Afghanistan to the Afghan taliban operating from Pakistan.

But it seems, not just western countries, even countries from OIC and Pakistan's all-weather friend China is also reluctant to part with money. What could be reason for this??.

 

[Lankan Ranger]

US Marine helicopters join Pakistan flood relief

Two US Marine helicopters arrived in Pakistan Thursday to join relief and rescue operations in areas hit by massive floods in the country's worst catastrophe, the US embassy said.

The two aircraft are the first of 19 extra helicopters that US Defence Secretary Robert Gates urgently ordered to Pakistan on Wednesday, it said.

The CH-53E Super Stallion helicopters flew into Pakistan from the USS Peleliu, which is positioned in international waters in the Arabian Sea.

The remaining aircraft will arrive over the next few days and will include three US Navy MH-53E Sea Dragon helicopters, four US Marine Corps CH-53E Super Stallion helicopters and 12 US Marine Corps CH-46 Sea Knight helicopters.

US military helicopters will operate in partnership with the Pakistan military throughout the country's flood-affected areas.

The 19 aircraft will relieve six US Army helicopters already in Pakistan that will soon return to duty in Afghanistan, the embassy said.

Despite bad weather, the six helicopters have rescued more than 3,089 people and transported more than 322,340 pounds of emergency relief supplies, it said.

Pakistan's government says more than 14 million people face direct or indirect harm from the floods. The United Nations believes 1,600 people have died in the floods, while Pakistan has confirmed 1,243 deaths.

US President Barack Obama “wants to lean forward in offering help to the Pakistanis,” Gates said Wednesday.

The Islamabad government has admitted to being overwhelmed, and hardline Islamic charities have conducted a highly visible aid effort on the ground.

DAWN.COM | Pakistan | US Marine helicopters join Pakistan flood relief

---------- Post added at 08:11 PM ---------- Previous post was at 08:10 PM ----------

 

[Thomas]

I agree with the author, it is most likely due to the impression in the minds of western people that Pakistan is linked to terrorism in their countries and the loss of their troops in Afghanistan to the Afghan taliban operating from Pakistan.

But it seems, not just western countries, even countries from OIC and Pakistan's all-weather friend China is also reluctant to part with money. What could be reason for this??.

unfortunately it most likely has more to do with press coverage. And such a low death toll when compared to it's magnitude. You simply do not see the TV and newspaper coverage as in other disasters. So it is not in the minds of people as much. if 50,000 people had died you would see a big difference in incoming aid

 

[Chinese-Dragon]

It's the death toll that is the issue.

People usually look at the death toll to see the scale of the disaster.

Unfortunately the real issue with the floods in Pakistan is more to do with the millions of people who have been affected....

 

[Nahraf]

Haiti is poverty stricken country in western hemisphere so they offered more help. Pakistan is not perceived positively by these donors. There is more possibility that these flood refugees would now be more sympathetic towards conservative Muslim parties as their volunteers are helping them.

 

[TOPGUN]

Chalo good news we need all the help we can get thx USA.

 

[HitNRun]

Yes thats a good thing... Thanks USA

 

[graphican]

It is our incompetence that is speaking here again. Without a vision, a plan of action, a genuine concern and desire to get support, we could not get any better world attention than that. I am sure our leaders must be cursing these victoms of flood who spoiled their international tours and they would have to spend a week going into the muddy areas, patting people who stink and weep and ask for food.. Prime Minister is already waiting for Lata Mangashker to be his state guest while Zardari is concerned how he should launch his son into politics.

With such people sitting on the top chairs, we should rather thank the world that they still offered us 100 million dollars. As a nation, we deserve this humiliation and inattentive attitude. Jamhooreat Khappay Khappy Khappy.

 

[chauism]

Also, maybe it is because there is no white people in Pakistan. Even though most people don't like to admit, but unconsciously this will come across to those who make decisions. If the flood is in any European country and there are 13 million white European suffering, I can bet the reaction from UK will be much different.

 

[Beskar]

It's the death toll that is the issue.

People usually look at the death toll to see the scale of the disaster.

Unfortunately the real issue with the floods in Pakistan is more to do with the millions of people who have been affected....

The death toll of this natural disaster is going to be far worse than any disaster recorded. Why is the death toll so low? Simply because the floods are still active and the people haven't had a chance to retrieve the bodies.

To give you guys an idea about the future death toll, I asked a guy in Kalaant, Nowshera about a massive lake of flood water which was visible from the village. I quote "This used to be a village with about 20,000 people. We have no clue where they are or where their bodies are but its safe to say that pretty much the entire village was wiped out".

That's the story from just a SINGLE village. Thousands and thousands of villages have been devoured by this ongoing flood. Use your imagination and its going to be a terrifying thought.