Lutheran World Relief Responds to Massive Flooding in Pakistan

BALTIMORE, Aug. 9 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Recent monsoon rains in Pakistan have caused the worst flooding in the country in 80 years. The floods, which began in late July, have claimed at least 1,600 lives, left more than 700,000 people homeless and have affected nearly 14 million Pakistanis, according to official reports. Lutheran World Relief (LWR) is working quickly with partners on the ground to deliver critical relief to people affected by this crisis.

"These floods bring even more devastation to poor, and disaster prone, areas of Pakistan," says Joanne Fairley, LWR's regional director for Asia and the Middle East. "LWR is working with our partners to distribute vital aid to families coping with this disaster."

The provinces of Khyber Paktunkhwa, Balochistan, Punjab and Sindh were most heavily affected by flooding. With so many families left homeless, and more monsoon rains expected, the people of Pakistan are in dire need of food, water and shelter to survive this disaster.

LWR is a member of the ACT Alliance, a global coalition of churches and agencies engaged in development, humanitarian response and advocacy, and is supporting the coordinated ACT response in Pakistan.

ACT Alliance members are  working on the ground to distribute emergency relief, including shelter items and food packages. So far, ACT members have  reached 155,200 people in Khyber Paktunkhwa and Balochistan and are working to reach even more.

LWR is also partnering with International Relief and Development to send 3,300 quilts, 13,000 health kits and 1,500 layettes to help displaced families.

The floods hit as people living in this region were still struggling to recover from five years of successive major disasters, with many families still living in makeshift shelters.

In 2005, a massive earthquake devastated parts of Pakistan. 2006 and 2007 brought floods that claimed lives, destroyed homes and killed livestock. In 2008, another powerful earthquake rendered thousands homeless in Balochistan at the onset of winter, and in 2009 millions were displaced as a result of conflict between the Pakistan military and militants in Khyber Paktunkhwa and Waziristan.

Throughout these years, severe droughts and water shortage severely plagued the country's agricultural system and crippled its food supply. With this new disaster, millions of Pakistanis are in danger of going hungry.

Lutheran World Relief is accepting donations on behalf of the Pakistan floods. You may make a monetary donation online at lwr.org, by phone at by phone at 800-597-5972, or by mail at P.O. Box 17061 Baltimore, MD 21298-9832, USA.

In addition, those wishing to donate to LWR's quilt and kit ministries may visit lwr.org/beinvolved or contact LWR by phone, or e-mail at [email protected], for more information.

WHO IS LWR? Lutheran World Relief, an international nonprofit organization, works to end poverty and injustice by empowering some of the world's most impoverished communities to help themselves. With partners in 35 countries, LWR seeks to promote sustainable development with justice and dignity by helping communities bring about change for healthy, safe and secure lives; engage in Fair Trade; promote peace and reconciliation; and respond to emergencies. LWR is headquartered in Baltimore, Md. and has worked in international development and relief since 1945.

INTERNATIONAL DISASTERS:

Editors:  When listing organizations receiving donations for aid to survivors of major disasters outside the United States, Puerto Rico or the U.S. Virgin Islands, please include: Lutheran World Relief, www.lwr.org, 1-800-597-5972

SOURCE Lutheran World Relief