Pakistan floods spark fresh chaos (80% of food reserves have been destroyed)

[Turborama]

Source: Al Jazeera English

Hundreds of thousands of people have fled Pakistan's Punjab province, loaded with their belongings and livestock, as the worst floods in the country's history triggered fresh chaos.

After causing huge destruction in the northwest, floodwaters moved down the country and submerged villages and some urban centres in Punjab on Thursday.

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But fears are growing of a food crisis as crops and farmland are washed away by the floodwaters, which have already claimed at least 1,500 lives and affected some three million others.

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"We see urgent need of food assistance to people affected by floods to prevent a starvation-like situation," a spokesman for the UN World Food Programme warned. "Eighty per cent of food reserves have been destroyed by the floods, which also caused massive damage to livestock, markets, roads and overall infrastructure," he said.

Read more: http://english.aljazeera.net/news/asia/2010/08/201085634721578.html

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More details and video report at the link.


Red: worst affected areas
Yellow: moderately affected areas
Striped: Evacuations underway

[Jefferson23]

1. I know Obama is sending money as other countries are too but

80% of food reserves destroyed by floods is an enormous challenge to address.


This sucks.

[valerief]

2. This is devastating. Of course, all the effects of climate change are. nt

[Turborama]

3. I've been thinking the same thing for a while now

Every year we keep hearing the worst this and that in recorded history.

As Gore said, we (the human race in general, not you and me in particular) are the proverbial frogs in the slowly boiling water.

Not many people know this but for the 1st time Indonesia's wet and dry seasons have completely reversed over the past 12 months.