About The Emergency
By the Numbers
More than 8.1 million people have been affected by monsoon rains
67% of the food stock has been destroyed
1.4 million homes have been damaged
(Sources: National Disaster Management Authority, Pakistan)
Some of the same regions of Pakistan that were devastated by floods in the summer of 2010 were under water once again in September 2011, when another round of monsoon rains drenched the area.
As the flooding intensified, families were forced from their homes and left to search for temporary shelter. Sindh—heavily damaged last year—was the area hardest hit by the September flooding, with nearly the entire province covered in water. Parts of Balochistan Province were also affected.
The rain disrupted communication and electricity and complicated relief efforts. Schools closed in Karachi and Hyderabad. Floodwater washed into drinking-water sources, contaminating them with bacteria that can cause illnesses. Aware that the drinking water is unsafe, some populations are relying on open pond water, which also carries the risk of spreading communicable diseases.
How Islamic Relief is Helping
More than 300,000 individuals (including 78,000 women and 140,000 children) are currently staying at 2,150 temporary sites. Islamic Relief’s worldwide offices are providing relief, and Islamic Relief USA is preparing to provide additional aid.
Here is more about how Islamic Relief is helping.
Donate now to help Islamic Relief humanitarian aid teams deliver vital resources to these flood survivors:
- Food packs
- Blankets
- Kitchen supplies
- Hygiene kits
- Sanitation facilities
- Temporary shelters and health care centers
Check out these videos and these photos taken from the field:
Islamic Relief has provided emergency relief in Pakistan in response to a number of natural disasters:
- IR teams were among the first responders to the 2010 floods that covered more than one-fifth of Pakistan’s land mass—affecting more than 20 million people. About 2,000 people were killed right away, with more deaths reported in the following months due to waterborne illness. More than 6 million people were left homeless, and 800,000 families were still without permanent shelter when the current flooding hit.
- IR teams were among the first responders after a 2008 earthquake to bring food and emergency aid kits to survivors—the quake and its aftershocks left 70,000 people homeless according to UNICEF.
- IR set up “mercy centers” to provide food, shelter, basic medical care, psychosocial counseling and other vital services to families that were living as refugees in other communities after violence erupted in 2009.
- IR teams were among the first to provide vital supplies to survivors of a 2005 earthquake.
Islamic Relief has been working in Pakistan since 1992, partnering with local organizers to get vital assistance to residents as quickly as possible. IR opened a field office in Islamabad in 1994.
How You Can Help
Here are three ways you can help us help the people of Pakistan.
