US providing $20 million in additional humanitarian assistance in response to flooding in Pakistan: Samantha Power

ISLAMABAD, Sep 09 (SABAH): On Friday in Islamabad, Administrator Samantha Power announced that the United States, through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), is providing an additional $20 million in humanitarian assistance to support the people affected by severe flooding in Pakistan resulting from heavy monsoon rains, as well as landslides and glacial lake outbursts, that have been ongoing since June.

The impact of these floods has been felt widely across Pakistan. An estimated 33 million people have been affected, nearly 1,400 have died, and more than 12,700 have been injured. Infrastructure in the flooding’s path has been decimated, with more than 1.7 million homes, an estimated 13.8 million acres of cropland, thousands of miles of road and hundreds of bridges damaged or destroyed.

This support builds on an announcement last week of $30 million in humanitarian assistance to help the people of Pakistan affected by these devastating floods. Since August 12, the United States has provided over $50.1 million in disaster assistance to help the people of Pakistan. With these additional funds, USAID partners will continue to provide emergency relief supplies, multi-purpose cash and shelter assistance, support for livelihoods, logistics, and humanitarian response coordination systems. USAID will also prioritize water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) assistance as a preventative measure to mitigate the anticipated spread of waterborne diseases.

USAID has also deployed a Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) to lead the U.S. government’s humanitarian response efforts in Pakistan. This elite team, composed of disaster experts from USAID, is assessing the damage, identifying priority needs, and coordinating with the Government of Pakistan and humanitarian partners. The United States is the single largest humanitarian donor to Pakistan.

Samantha Power said that the United States is deeply saddened for the flood victims and the loss of loved ones, livelihoods, and homes throughout Pakistan. We stand with communities in Pakistan during this difficult time and will continue to help them in this time of need, Samantha Power said.