Riz Khan - Slow pace of aid to Pakistan

Did Pakistan’s Floods Steal the Thunder from Atlantic Hurricanes?

This years hurricane season was predicted to be a busy one with Colorado State University predicting 18 tropical storms of which 10 would reach hurricane force. Record sea-temperatures and a weather system known as La Niña were cited as the cause to such activity. However, compared to the last few years which saw larger hurricanes forming before 20th August, this year has been unusually quiet, defying predictions. The reason for this is a weather pattern over Pakistan and Russia that has disrupted the jet stream. This weather pattern is also responsible to the severe floods in Pakistan and the heat-wave that struck Russia over the Summer (causing widespread wildfires and food shortages). As a result, instead of the humid air needed for the development of tropical storms, dry air is sitting above the Atlantic’s surface.

Is this the beginning of a wider shift in climatic patterns? Are anomalies such as this merely that, i.e.: a glitch in the records? Or is it due to something more disturbing such as global warming? Although the USA and the Caribbean Islands may have been given some much needed respite from hurricane season, the environmental consequences of Russia’s extreme weather may prove to have a far more profound impact on the world.

Sources: www.newscientist.com 3rd September 2010

A FLOOD SONG BY LAL BAND.

USHAHIDI IS NOW REPORTING PAKISTANS' FLOOD CRISIS.

USHAHIDI, The Ultimate Crisis Reporting System.

Question:What is the purpose of Ushahidi, and how does Ushahidi works?

Answer: The Purpose of Ushahidi is to get all related incidents(flood) reported on a single web-page, so that resources could be allocated and duplication can be reduced.
Ushahidi works by using reported incidents documented by ordinary people, via mobile SMS technology and posting them on a central website having the zoom-able country map.

Visit Ushahidi website:http://pakreport.org/ushahidi/

10 GOOD WAYS TO HELP THE FLOOD VICTIMS OF PAKISTAN:
(Please click the name of organization to get to the link)

1. Edhi Foundation
2. Imran Khan & MKRF Pukaar
   
3. Pakistan Red Crescent Society
4. Sahara for Life Trust
5. The Citizen Foundation
6. Islamic relief USA
7. SOS Children Village
   
8. Punjab(CM) Flood Relief & Rehabilitation.
9. Save the Children
   
10. RSPN
    

All Talks and No DAMS.

1. 
2. 

Two Photos of Kotri Barrage – One Year Apart

The two photos of River Indus at Kotri barrage – taken approximately a year apart. In the first photo you can see people walking on the dry Indus bed and second photo is from 2 days ago where the whole barrage structure is under threat due to super flood here.



(1) June 29, 2009 This photo was part of our post on the Indus Day in 2010 where we wrote about depleting Water Resources of Pakistan. Today this photo seems so unreal!


(2) August 25, 2010.Note the tags with our post today as well as the post on Indus Day are ‘environment’ and ‘disasters’ but within 6 months the disaster has manifested itself in such a starkly opposite form.

PAKISTANS' FLOOD IN NUMBERS

THE MASS OF DESTRUCTION.

Pakistanis Directly Affected:
20,000,000+
(According to the UN this eclipses even in the 2004 Tsunami, 2005 Kashmir Earthquake and the 2010 Haiti Earthquake combined)

Proportion of Pakistan now Submerged:
20% (One-Fifth) of the Country
(Greater than the size of all England, all Bangladesh, and some 140 different countries )

Proportion of Pakistanis now Affected:
11% – 1 Out of Every 9 Pakistanis
(Greater than the entire population of Sri Lanka, Netherlands, Switzerland, and over 150 different countries)

Pakistanis in Urgent Need of Food Relief:
6,000,000+
(Others need assistance too, these are life-threatening)

Children at Risk of Disease:
3,500,000+
(Cholera outbreaks have already been reported)

Pakistanis now Homeless:
2,000,000+
(In need of immediate shelter assistance)

Pakistanis Reached by Relief Efforts:
500,000
(Compare to numbers above)

Agricultural Cropland Already flooded:
1,400,000 acres
(Also 10,000 cows have perished)

Houses Destroyed and Damaged:
900,000
(In every province of Pakistan)

Estimated Cost of Rebuilding After Floods:
US$15,000,000,000
(US$2.5B in Northern Areas only)

UN’s Appeal for Assistance:
US$459,000,000
(Made on August 11, 2010)

Amount Pledged by UN in Response to Appeal:
US$352,500,000
(Including $75.76M from USA, $$44M from Saudi Arabia, $32.3M from UK, $27M from UN, $26M from EU)

Amount Received by UN in Response to Appeal:
US$184,000,000
(As of August 17, 2010)

Tents Provided:
119,000
(By comparison, 1M tents provided after 2005 Earthquake)

Boats Available for Rescue Activities:
912
(NMDA numbers, August 16)

Helicopters Available for Rescue Activities:
57
(NMDA numbers, August 16)