Emergency appeal launched following Pakistan floods

Press release:

The British Red Cross has launched an emergency fundraising appeal in response to the devastating floods that have left around a third of Pakistan under water. The British Red Cross Pakistan Floods Appeal will support the ongoing relief effort in the country.  

The scale of the flooding is immense, with monsoon rainfall levels ten times higher than usual. It will take months for the water to subside.  

The Pakistan Red Crescent are amongst the first responders and are working around the clock to reach people and families on the ground with safe drinking water, tents, first aid, medical and financial support and other life-saving aid. Red Crescent volunteers are currently working in 23 districts across Balochistan, Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab. They are being supported by the wider Red Cross Red Cross Red Crescent Movement, but more help is urgently needed.  

Around a thousand lives have already been lost, with numbers expected to increase in the coming hours and days. More than one million homes have been damaged. Hundreds of thousands of people have left their homes with little or no belongings, desperately seeking safety on higher ground.  

The humanitarian situation is dire and could worsen rapidly, as flood waters continue to move and build force. This is likely to lead to more people being forced from their homes, more damage, and more people being injured or killed.  

 Mike Adamson, chief executive of the British Red Cross, said:  

“One third of Pakistan is underwater and one in seven people have been affected by these devastating floods.  

"The Pakistan Red Crescent has already helped thousands of people in dire need of shelter, food, water, sanitation and medical support but more help is urgently needed. The British Red Cross is launching an emergency appeal to get vital aid to those that need it most. Please do give if you are able so we can support those in need."  

 The Chairman of the Pakistan Red Crescent, Abrar ul Haq, said:  

“The situation is worsening by the day. These torrential floods have severely restricted transportation and mobility. Most of those affected are also immobile or marooned making it hard for us to reach them.  
 
“We are currently providing relief assistance in 23 of the most affected districts. We have also deployed more 500 staff and volunteers to flood-affected districts. We have also started mobilising help from International Committee of the Red Cross, Partner National Societies and local and international donors.  

“We fear the worst is yet to come as these kinds of waters could mean the risk of water-borne diseases are looming over the heads of our people.”  

Donate to the British Red Cross Pakistan floods emergency appeal

Notes to editors  

For more information, or to request an interview, please contact press@redcross.org.uk / 07710 391703
 

About the British Red Cross  

For over 150 years, the British Red Cross has helped people in crisis, whoever and wherever they are. We are part of a global voluntary network, responding to conflicts, natural disasters and individual emergencies. We enable vulnerable people in the UK and abroad to prepare for and withstand emergencies in their own communities. And when the crisis is over, we help them recover and move on with their lives.