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Devastating flooding has once again struck southern Pakistan, hitting areas still struggling to recover from the 2010 and 2011 flood disasters. AmeriCares pre-positioned relief supplies were in place even before the disaster, so that crucial aid could reach families in need as quickly as possible.The record flooding has affected 4.4 million people, leaving 2,000 injured and more than 1 million displaced in the Balochistan and Sindh provinces. According to a partner assessment, 80% of the Dera Ghazi Kahn district of Balochistan Province remained flooded after the rain stopped. Many families were left homeless and with little or no belongings.Emergency ResponseIn advance of the floods, AmeriCares awarded a Global Prepositioning Grant to partner, Human Appeal International. Grant funding was used to purchase emergency supplies that were available for immediate distribution to help 300 displaced families – a total of about 1,500 people. The relief items included essential personal care products, mosquito nets, sleeping mats and cooking sets, as well as water purifiers to reduce the spread of water-borne diseases.The grant is part of AmeriCares Global Prepositioning Initiative, aimed at putting emergency aid in place before disaster strikes, to drastically reduce response time. Since July 2012, thousands offlood survivors in the Philippines,India, Colombia, and Indonesia have already benefited from the initiative.AmeriCares emergency response personnel in Pakistan are currently assessing damage and working with partners to identify additional emergency needs. Based on the results of the assessment, AmeriCares will send additional medicine and medical supplies to meet the needs of those displaced by the storms.
Photo courtesy of HAI Pakistan.2010 and 2011 Flood ResponseThe recent floods marked the third consecutive year that Pakistan has been inundated by crisis-level flooding. In July 2010, when catastrophic flooding left 20 million Pakistani people homeless, AmeriCares responded immediately, sending aid to towns and villages where families struggled to survive. For twelve months after the disaster, AmeriCares sent more than $6 million in vital humanitarian aid and funded projects to distribute relief items, drill wells, install water pumps, stock medical camps with medicines, and rebuild damaged health facilities. When floods hit again in 2011, AmeriCares responded by rehabilitating 2 health clinics, conducting 3 distributions of relief items and providing medicines to 30 free medical camps.Read MoreDonate Now