Save The Kids Increases Efforts To Reach Families Stranded By Record Monsoons In Pakistan

Sunday, November 13, 2011

care Prof:

Save the Kids deployed its rapid response team towards the worst-affected and hardest to reach communities in Pakistan’s Swat Valley, where record-breaking monsoon rains have triggered deadly floods and mudslides. The team had to navigate the rushing waters utilizing rafts linked to ropes and pulleys in order to distribute temporary shelters and supplies to stranded youngsters and their households.

The Data Minister with the worst affected province of KhyberPakthunkhwa, Mian Ifthikar Hussain, estimates 1,500 have been killedby the floods nationwide. Now, officials fear an outbreak of diseaseamong the millions left homeless and with no clean water supplies.

“In practically all of the flood-affected locations, water supplies have beencontaminated,” stated Annie Foster, Save the Children’s associate vicepresident for humanitarian response. “There are confirmed reports ofdiarrhea and cholera that might spread rapidly amongst the hundreds ofthousands who have lost their properties. In this sort of environment,young children — specially those under 5 years of age — are the mostvulnerable to severe illness and even death.”

Save the Youngsters sent mobile well being teams to offer emergencymedical aid to treat much more than 1,400 people in DI Khan, Buner and theSwat Valley area. The teams travelled by boat and often had to hikemany kilometers to remote villages, exactly where roads and bridges had beenwashed away.

The floods are now heading towards Muzaffargarh, Layyah and DG Khanand Rajanpur, in Punjab. Heavy rains predicted for the very first twoweeks of August are expected to increase the difficulty of deliveringhumanitarian aid.

“People are stranded and are quickly making use of up their supplies ofstored food,” said Foster. “There is actually a crucial need to get moreclean water, food and medical help to thousands of kids andtheir families in the subsequent few days.”

Save the Children has been working using the kids of Pakistan andtheir households for far more than 30 years, and supplied assistance tothose affected by Tropical Storm Phet in June, the conflict inKhyber-Pakhtunkhwa Province in 2009 as well as the massive earthquake in2005.

Donate Now towards the Pakistan Children in Emergency Fund or call (800)728-3843.

Source:
Save the Youngsters