“The worst floods in Pakistan's history have now affected 12 million people, says the government relief agency. General Nadeem Ahmed, of the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), said that figure only covered Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab provinces. Figures for Sindh province were not yet available, he added. As well as the estimate of 12 million people affected, Gen Ahmed said that 650,000 houses had been destroyed. "In my opinion, when assessments are complete, this will be the biggest disaster in the history of Pakistan," he told a news conference in Islamabad on Friday. Flooding has submerged whole villages in the past week, killing at least 1,600 people, according to the United Nations. And the region is only midway through monsoon season, with more rain forecast. Flooding has also hit Indian-administered Kashmir, where more than 100 people have died in the Ladakh region.” (BBC News)
Our thoughts are with all those folk suffering and bereaved. If you want to donate money to help the relief from the UK you can do so at the Disasters Emergency Committee site.
What is perhaps even more sad is that in a couple of years some other disaster will have overtaken this one and we will have begun to forget all about it. But for those who have lost their homes or their relatives in Pakistan and Kashmir it will be a couple of generations before they will be able to forget.
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