Support for Named Disaster: 2010 Pakistan Floods available at UMCOR (United Methodist Committee On Relief) - NATIONAL HQ

Clean Water and Food Relief to Pakistan

Source: The United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR)

Date: 06 Aug 2010

Food and clean drinking water are among the most urgent needs in Pakistan, as casualties from widespread flooding continue to rise.

Heavier than usual monsoon rains have provoked flooding across the country, killing as many as 1,600 people and affecting up to 4 million, according to news reports, the United Nations, and United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) partners in Pakistan.

"Given the magnitude of the unprecedented flooding in Pakistan, we are fortunate to have a strong network of partners with whom we can work to provide immediate and long-term relief to those impacted by the disaster," said Melissa Crutchfield, UMCOR international disaster response executive.

"We are committed to remaining engaged in Pakistan to provide much-needed assistance," Crutchfield said.

UMCOR grants are providing clean water, food assistance, emergency shelter and medical aid to some of the most severely impacted communities.

"Flooding has resulted in water sources being compromised or populations shifting to areas with no water systems," reported GlobalMedic, an UMCOR partner.

An UMCOR grant to GlobalMedic is helping the organization to provide flood survivors with clean drinking water and relief from dehydration caused by drinking contaminated water.

Using water purification tablets, solutions, and units, the project will purify more than 3.5 million liters of drinking water and benefit more than 73,000 people a day.

UMCOR is also providing grant support to partner Church World Service (CWS), which will help bring food relief and emergency shelter to tens of thousands of Pakistanis affected by the flooding.

CWS reported that in the most severely affected areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Punjab, and Balochistan provinces, "people in general have little to eat and no means to earn money."

The UMCOR grant will help CWS reach some 70,000 survivors with emergency aid, including food assistance, emergency shelter supplies, and mobile health access.

In addition, UMCOR is in conversation with Muslim Aid, another partner on the ground in Pakistan, to explore support for that organization's efforts to supply much needed health care to communities in hard-hit Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Weather predictions call for continued rain in Pakistan in the coming week, and the government has issued new flood warnings. Reuters reported that floodwaters have reached the southern Sindh province, where Pakistan's largest city and commercial hub, Karachi, is located.

The agency added that at least 1.3 million acres of crops have been destroyed in the Punjab agricultural heartland, which could lead to food shortages and price increases.

Please help UMCOR bring relief to those who are experiencing the devastating effects of the flooding in Pakistan. Give to International Disaster Response, UMCOR Advance #982450 and indicate Pakistan Emergency on the memo line of your check.

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