Pakistan Students Association

Some information regarding the disastrous floods in Pakistan
Some of the same regions of Pakistan that were devastated by floods in the summer of 2010 are under water once again in September 2011 amid another round of monsoon rains.
As the flooding has intensified in recent days, families have again been forced from their homes and left searching for temporary shelter. Sindh—heavily damaged last year—is the area hardest hit by the current flooding, with nearly the entire province covered in water. Parts of Baluchistan Province also are underwater. The continuing rain has disrupted communication and electricity and complicated relief efforts. Schools are closed in Karachi and Hyderabad. Floodwater has 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. The heavy rainfall is continuing as of Sept. 15.
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)

Information about the proceedings from our event
All proceedings would be going to the Islamic Relief Organization.
Why Islamic Relief?
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.