The urgent need for help in Pakistan

REPORTS OUT of Pakistan indicate that about 1,500 people have lost their lives and tens of thousands have been left homeless by the worst flooding the country has seen in 80 years.

This year's monsoon, which began July 28, is said to have affected 3.2 million people in northwest Pakistan. The most urgent need is for clean drinking water, followed by food, shelter, sanitation and medicine. Homes, bridges, roads and agricultural land has been swept away, leaving scores of families with no homes or livelihood.

The potential for disease is high among flood victims, as for most, there is no fresh water, and the threat of water born diseases is high.

The monsoon has permanently displaced hundreds of thousands of people, particularly children. Of the more than 3 million people affected by the floods, UNICEF reports that one million of them are children. The government of Pakistan has stated that it expects the need in the affected region to be significant for at least the next four to six months.

Pakistani Professor M. Iqbal Khan stated that he believes melting glaciers are the main cause of the floods. In an interview with the Associated Press of Pakistan, Khan said, [D]ue to the melting of glaciers, the flood situation is aggravated." Khan went on to say that the gradual glacial melting from the Himalayan Mountains will continue to worsen future flooding. Khan's glacial melt theory has been confirmed by findings of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

I encourage everyone who is able to assist those affected by the flooding in Pakistan to donate to the aid organization of their choice (specifying Pakistan flood relief), such as Save the Children, Oxfam, GreaterGood.org and CARE.
Brian McAfee, from the Internet