“The so-called war on terror has to be on hold. As long as the nation, the government, and the army are dealing with this flood situation, the war takes a back seat.’’
Then again, maybe it is a different kind of war:
"With this in mind, let's consider some recent events that might suggest HAARP has achieved its full operational potential as a weapon that can be accurately directed to a given target if geopolitical masterminds give the order....
Pakistan Floods -- The suddenness of the weather could be a tipoff. This is a disaster that experts are saying dwarfs the impact of the 2004 Tsunami in Indonesia, and is the worst in Pakistan history. And it came by surprise. Unlike a Tsunami which can have a random earthquake as its source, weather has been charted enough to put meteorologists on TV who presumably make a living off of their accurate analysis. Yet, millions have been affected, and hundreds of villages erased by this anomalous event that dropped from the skies. A recent article in the Daily Mail has scientists speculating that a blocked jet stream is causing a prolonged weather system over Pakistan . . . as well as Russia. A stated ability of HAARP is to "perturb the ionosphere," which can lead to the stalling, or supercharging of weather systems, as the jet stream is affected. In fact, it appears that the jet stream has split in two, with one arm going north over Russia, and the other arm heading south into Pakistan; the region in the middle is feeling the effects.
--MORE--"
[The following report attribute the disastrous weather over Pakistan and China, as well as the searing drought over Russia, to "blocking patterns" in the weather. This previous report (SEE: Super-Charged Jet Stream Caused Pak. Flood) explained it as a "super-charged jet stream," which actually split, with one stream heading north to block Russian weather and another causing Pakistan's jet stream to accelerate, sucking-in humidity and tropical deluges. If the UN actually investigates the cause of all this, will it be allowed to proceed to a logical conclusion, even if it leads here ( SEE: Pakistan: unlucky in everything then? really?)? ] -- Weather shifts behind disasters need urgent probe: UN
"The heaviest monsoon rains on record, 12 inches in one 36-hour period, have sent rivers rampaging over huge swaths of countryside, flooding thousands of villages. It has left 14 million Pakistanis homeless or otherwise affected and killed 1,500.
The government calls it the worst natural disaster in the nation’s history.
A warmer atmosphere can hold and discharge more water. The 2007 report said rains have grown heavier for 40 years over north Pakistan and predicted greater flooding this century in south Asia’s monsoon region."
You mean the SAME ONE that LIED about the GLACIERS?
Related: Continuing the ClimateGate Lies
Also see: Climate Weapons: More Than Just a Conspiracy Theory?
Pakistan’s Villification Is Complete–The World Doesn’t Care
Yeah, it certainly isn't getting the coverage the Haiti quake got (at the start).
"Leader returns to flood-ravaged Pakistan" by Associated Press | August 11, 2010
Family members comforted a woman who had lost her house to heavy flooding in Sukkar, Pakistan. (Pervez Masih/Associated Press)
MUZAFFARGARH, Pakistan — President Asif Ali Zardari returned yesterday to flood-ravaged Pakistan, where he faced harsh criticism for visiting Europe as his country was gripped by what his government called the nation’s worst natural disaster.
Related: Pakistan President Steps Around the Puddles
His arrival came as thousands fled a major city in central Pakistan threatened by swollen rivers, and as the United Nations said the nationwide aid response needed to be scaled up “massively.’’ The world body said it is working on a response plan that will probably require hundreds of millions of dollars in initial international assistance.
The Pakistani Taliban, which is allied to Al Qaeda and is fighting for the overthrow of the Pakistani state, urged the government not to accept any Western aid for flood relief.
Oh, now they are allied with "Al-CIA-Duh" and attempting a coup (not; they just want to be left alone) as well as just being mean!!
They must be delivering aid for the Muslim-hating AmeriKan MSM to hate them so.
Spokesman Azam Tariq said the group would fund relief efforts.
Related: Taliban Flood Back Into Pakistan
The Taliban have attacked Western aid groups in Pakistan and called for them to leave the country, saying they are trying to implement a Western agenda. “Pakistan should reject this aid to maintain sovereignty and independence,’’ Tariq said in a telephone call to an Associated Press reporter....
Oh, well, who could ever doubt that?
--more--"
"Pakistan officials call for flood aid; President visits inundated areas" by Khurrum Anis, Bloomberg News | August 13, 2010
President Asif Ali Zardari of Pakistan talked to flood survivors during a visit to a relief camp in Sukkur yesterday. (AFP/Getty Images)
I posted the photograph because I am always amazed at the colorful clothing of the Pakistani people. The Zionist AmeriKan MSM here makes it seem like they are all dressed in burqa black.
KARACHI — President Asif Ali Zardari made his first visit to regions swamped by Pakistan’s worst ever floods yesterday as relief officials appealed for urgent deliveries of food, shelter, and medicine for 14 million displaced people....
Meanwhile, a shipload of US Marines and helicopters arrived to boost relief efforts.
Did they bring their drone missiles with them?
As the United Nations launched an appeal for $460 million in emergency aid, Pakistani officials underscored the urgency of the relief operation with fears of disease outbreaks growing.
“We need relief supplies immediately, not today, not tomorrow but right now,’’ Ahmed Kamal, spokesman for the National Disaster Management Authority, said by phone from Islamabad, the capital.
Mosquito nets, tents, tarpaulins, kits to prevent cholera, ready-to-eat meals, and water-purifying tablets are all needed as the catastrophe that has killed at least 1,600 people enters its third week....
Flood surges triggered by unprecedented monsoon rains have swept south along the 2,000-mile-long Indus River, devastating low-lying areas of Punjab and Sindh provinces, the densely populated economic and agricultural heartland of Pakistan, damaging 722,000 homes. About 1.73 million acres of standing crops, including rice and cotton, are underwater or have been destroyed by floodwaters, the Food and Agriculture Organization has said.
Which means the Pakistanis have starvation to look forward to.
Thunderstorms are expected to bring more rain to the north of Pakistan in the next 24 hours, Muhammad Riaz, the chief meteorologist said, though they are not expected to be heavy. Flood forecasts were issued for parts of Punjab along the Chenab River.
One is beginning to wonder if the rain will ever stop -- or is this a 40 days and nights thing?
The USS Peleliu arrived off the coast near Karachi yesterday, along with helicopters and about 1,000 Marines.
An Associated Press reporter flew with Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani over parts of Punjab, Sindh, and Baluchistan provinces. Seen from the air, the extent of the disaster was clear, with the aircraft often flying for many minutes over a mostly flooded landscape.
“All I say is that we need more help from our international friends,’’ Gilani said. “We need more such helicopters, because the magnitude of the destruction was far more than earlier assessments. I also urge my own countrymen and women to help their brothers and sisters.’’
The United States has pledged $55 million in emergency aid. Britain has allocated $26.2 million and earmarked up to $48.2 million for relief aid, the Department for International Development said on its website....
All I can think of is Haiti and how that pledged aid just disappeared.
I'm not saying they shouldn't help; I just wonder where the money really goes.
“The flooding in Pakistan has the potential to be significantly more disastrous’’ than the 2005 Pakistan earthquake that killed about 86,000 people, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Wednesday. The Pentagon said in a statement that Gates had authorized the deployment of 19 Navy and Marine Corps helicopters to support the flood-relief effort. The 19 choppers will relieve six Army helicopters already in Pakistan that were loaned from operations in Afghanistan.
Well, it certainly is a better use of them than mowing down people or firing off missiles. Too bad it took a flood of epic proportions for it to happen.
--more--"
"Pakistan floods fail to spark strong global aid" by Nahal Toosi, Associated Press Writer | August 13, 2010
Pakistani flood survivors wait for their turn for medical check up at a local hospital in Multan, Pakistan on Friday, Aug. 13, 2010. The United Nations warned the crisis was far from over, saying dams in Sindh province could still burst in the coming days. (AP Photo/Khalid Tanveer)
(Blog editor can barely control the tears; they are such beautiful people who do not deserve this!)
ISLAMABAD --The global aid response to the Pakistan floods has so far been much less generous than to other recent natural disasters -- despite the soaring numbers of people affected and the prospect of more economic ruin in a country key to the fight against Islamist extremists.
Well, when you DEMONIZE a people DAY after DAY....
Reasons include the relatively low death toll of 1,500, the slow onset of the flooding compared with more immediate and dramatic earthquakes or tsunamis, and a global "donor fatigue" -- or at least a Pakistan fatigue.
Pffft!
Maybe one day the Pentagon will tire of the Predators!
Triggered by monsoon rains, the floods have torn through the country from its mountainous northwest, destroying hundreds of thousands of homes and an estimated 1.7 million acres of farmland. In southern Pakistan, the River Indus is now more than 15 miles wide at some points -- 25 times wider than during normal monsoon seasons.
Are you KIDDING ME?
I can NOT EVEN IMAGINE THAT, readers!!!
A 15-MILE-WIDE RIVER!?!
The floods have disrupted the lives of 14 million people -- 8 percent of the population. Many are living in muddy camps or overcrowded government buildings, while thousands more are sleeping in the open next to their cows, goats and whatever possessions they managed to drag with them.
And the U.N. says more flood surges may be on the way. Late Friday, local TV reported more flooding in towns and villages along main rivers in Sindh and Punjab provinces.
Going by the numbers of people affected, the disaster is worse than the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, the 2005 Kashmir earthquake and the 2010 Haiti earthquake combined, the U.N. says. But international aid for those disasters came at a more rapid pace, aid experts say.
Ten days after the Kashmir quake, donors gave or pledged $292 million, according to the aid group Oxfam. The Jan. 12 disaster in Haiti led to pledges nearing $1 billion within the first 10 days.
For Pakistan, the international community gave or pledged $150 million after the flooding began in earnest in late July, according to the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, known as OCHA.
That is like pissing in their face!
U.N. officials on Wednesday launched a formal appeal for $460 million for immediate relief and have said the country will need billions more to rebuild after the floodwaters recede.
So where are the TV commercials and appeals, America?
OCHA spokesman Nicholas Reader said that of the $310 million still needed, the U.N. received $93 million with an additional $32 million pledged.
Pakistan is also receiving bilateral donations, which are not part of the appeal and which the United Nations does not track.
The United States has donated the most, at least $70 million, and has sent military helicopters to rescue stranded people and drop of food and water. Washington hopes the assistance will help improve its image in the country -- however marginally -- as it seeks its support in the battle against the Taliban in neighboring Afghanistan.
First of all, the cessation of the missile strikes would help; however, CAN WE NOT JUST DO SOMETHING because it is RIGHT -- without ALWAYS having an ANGLE, AmeriKa?
Britain, Pakistan's former colonial ruler, was the second largest donor, pledging over $32 million. Other major donations included $13 million from Germany, $10 million from Australia, $5 million from Kuwait, $3.5 million from Japan and $3.3 million from Norway.
U.N. spokesman Martin Nesirky said humanitarian organizations in Pakistan are working around the clock to deliver lifesaving assistance to at least 6 million people in need, but that far more funding is required to provide help quickly.
That is what makes the failures even more disappointing.
He said U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon was planning a trip to Pakistan to inspect the damage.
Is that going to help the global warming that allegedly caused this?
"The international recognition of this disaster has not yet been sufficient to its dimensions," U.S. envoy Richard Holbrooke told the Council on Foreign Relations. "That is because floods, unlike earthquakes and tsunamis, are not sudden catastrophes that hit and then the reconstruction begins. They're rolling crises, which grow and are initially underestimated."
Shut up, Dick!
See: Holbrooke's Hubris
Comparatively low-key coverage in the international media and a lack of celebrity involvement has also kept the flood disaster off many would-be givers' radar, said Molly Kinder, a Pakistan aid expert with the Washington-based Center for Global Development.
"I haven't exactly seen Lady Gaga go on Oprah to pledge donations to Pakistan's flood victims," she said.
Oh, so CELEBRITIES DRIVE the NEWS COVERAGE, 'eh?
That explains my s*** MSM, folks!
The civilian government's response to the flood has not inspired confidence among many donors. President Asif Ali Zardari was criticized for going on a state visit to Europe during the disaster and making time to visit a family-owned chateau in France....
Seems like ALL GOVERNMENTS are BASICALLY the SAME to me!
--more--"
And the photo in my printed paper (that doesn't match the article)?
Displaced Pakistanis waited in a line for food at a camp in Nowshera, Pakistan yesterday. Floods have disrupted the lives of 14 million people, 8 percent of Pakistan’s population. (Mohammad Sajjad/Associated Press)
Once again I see LOVELY PEOPLE!
And the woman holding the bowl over face for the photo?
LOVE THAT! It is the same thing I would have done!
Related: Flow of global aid to Pakistan is sluggish (By Salman Masood and Waqar Gillani, New York Times)
And it just keeps getting worse:
"Cholera is found in flood-ravaged Pakistan; 20 million affected by inundation" by Griff Witte, Washington Post | August 15, 2010
Flood victims fought over food relief distributed by volunteers in Sukkar, Pakistan. A surge of flood water swelled the Indus River, threatening some previously spared cities and towns. (Shakil Adil/ Associated Press)
What is with the men wearing the pink hats?
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — The United Nations confirmed the first cholera case among survivors of the Pakistan flooding yesterday, and the government sharply increased its estimate of the number of people affected by the catastrophic floods to 20 million.
Holy s***!
UN officials said 6 million of those victims lack access to food, shelter, and water.
Holocaust-like numbers!!
The floods, which continue to inundate new parts of the country, have caused a humanitarian disaster that has overwhelmed the capacity of both the government and international aid groups. Foreign assistance has been slow in arriving and aid organizations warn that many more deaths could follow unless flood victims receive help soon.
As people go without access to clean drinking water and basic health services, deadly cholera outbreaks can spread quickly. More cases are suspected among the tens of thousands of people with diarrhea and fever....
How miserable!
This is tragic!
A new surge of flood water swelled the Indus River yesterday, threatening previously spared cities and towns in the south. The Indus was already more than 15 miles wide at some points Friday, 25 times wider than during normal monsoon seasons.
You can't see the other side, can you?
Authorities were trying to evacuate or warn people in Jacobabad, Hyderabad, Thatta, Ghotki, Larkana, and other areas in Sindh Province that so far have been spared floods.
Because of the flooding, Pakistan canceled celebrations yesterday marking its creation and independence from Britain in 1947.
It literally rained on their parade.
President Asif Ali Zardari met with flood victims in the northwest, and UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon was expected to visit today.
One case of cholera was confirmed in Mingora, the main town in the northwest’s Swat Valley, UN spokesman Maurizio Giuliano said. Cholera can lead to severe dehydration and death without prompt treatment.
The crisis began in late July, when unusually heavy monsoon rains tore through the country from its mountainous northwest. Hundreds of thousands of homes have been destroyed. Agriculture has been severely hit, with an estimated 1.7 million acres of farmland wiped out.
The UN has appealed for an initial $460 million to provide relief to Pakistan but has said the country will need billions to rebuild once the flood waters recede.
The United States has committed at least $76 million, and two additional US Navy helicopters arrived yesterday to assist with the distribution of food. In all, 19 US helicopters have been ordered into Pakistan.
The crisis has battered Pakistan’s economy and undermined its political stability when the United States needs its steadfast cooperation against Islamist extremism.
Which means they will be in no position to help Iran.
“If not managed, the dislocation of such a large number of people who have been deprived of their homes and livelihood, coupled with the destruction of vast chunks of largely agricultural territory along the country’s core Indus River region, can easily translate into massive social unrest,’’ the analytical firm Stratfor said in an assessment.
And here they were worried about a Taliban overthrow?
The nation has already been racked by a bloody insurgency by Taliban fighters who object to Pakistan’s alliance with the United States in the war in neighboring Afghanistan.
With the Pakistani Army taking the most prominent role in the government’s relief efforts, concern has grown in Washington that the flood will detract from the country’s battle against Islamic militants.
So ALL WE CARE ABOUT is WAR, AmeriKa!!!!
Pakistani troops have waged relatively successful offensives over the past year and a half in the Swat Valley and in South Waziristan, but those gains could be undermined as the army’s attention shifts.
Related: Taliban Ghost Town
Now they are not even that.
The United States had been pressing Pakistan to launch an offensive in North Waziristan, where Al Qaeda and several major Taliban groups are active. Pakistan has been reluctant to go in, and now the floods make it even less likely that its generals will open another front.
“The army still needs time to recover’’ from South Waziristan and Swat, said a Pakistani intelligence official who spoke on the condition of anonymity. He said that a possible offensive in North Waziristan had been discussed for the fall, but that now, “I don’t foresee it.’’
Pakistani military officials insist that the floods will not take away from counterinsurgency operations and that the civilian government will be primarily responsible for rebuilding infrastructure destroyed by the floods.
--more--""Cholera strikes amid Pakistani flood disaster" by Ashraf Khan and Nahal Toosi, Associated Press Writers | August 14, 2010
Pakistani flood survivors collect biscuit packets distributed by volunteers in Muzaffargarh, Pakistan on Saturday, Aug. 14, 2010. The deadly waterborne disease cholera has surfaced in flood-ravaged Pakistan, the U.N. confirmed Saturday, adding to the misery of 20 million people the government says have been made homeless by the disaster. A fresh surge of floodwater swelled the Indus River, threatening previously spared cities and towns in the south. (AP Photo/K.M. Chaudary)
Oh, the indignity of Pakistanis scrambling for biscuits.
SUKKUR, Pakistan --The deadly, waterborne disease cholera has surfaced in flood-ravaged Pakistan, the U.N. confirmed Saturday, adding to the misery of 20 million people the government says have been made homeless by the disaster. A fresh surge of floodwater swelled the Indus River, threatening previously spared cities and towns in the south.
The crisis has battered Pakistan's economy and undermined its political stability at a time when the United States needs its steadfast cooperation against Islamist extremism....
Can we PUT AWAY the WAR for JUST a MINUTE?!!!
In a televised address to the nation Saturday, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani said 20 million were now homeless. He did not elaborate, and it was unclear how many of those people were briefly forced to leave their homes and how many had lost their houses altogether....
"So far, if anyone has practically given us maximum help, it is America," Gilani said Saturday when a Pakistani reporter suggested the U.S. has done little since the crisis started....
We could have done more.
Fresh flood waves swelled the River Indus on Saturday, threatening nearby cities, towns and villages in southern Sindh province, said Mohammed Ajmal Shad, a senior meteorologist. The Indus was already more than 15 miles wide at some points Friday -- 25 times wider than during normal monsoon seasons....
Ghulam Sarwar said he, his wife and eight children had already fled the town of Thal because of flooding. Overnight, they had to get out of Jacobabad after the fresh warnings. Now they wait in a small tent relief camp on the edge of the city of Sukkur.
"Our whole world has been ruined by the flood, and the whole of Sindh is drowning," the 42-year-old said. "We do not know how long we will have to suffer."
The Pakistani government's reputation -- already shaky to begin with -- has suffered during the crisis, especially after the president decided to visit Europe as the crisis was unfolding....
--more--"
But help is on the way!
"UN chief urges faster relief for Pakistan; Says flooding like nothing he’s seen" by Chris Brummitt, Associated Press | August 16, 2010
United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon visited displaced flood victims yesterday at a camp in Pakistan’s Punjab Province. (Evan Schneider/ AFP/ Getty Images)
(Blog editor once again trying to control the tears due to the fact that the children are so beautiful. They do not deserve to have this happen to them)
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said yesterday he has never seen anything like the flood disaster in Pakistan after surveying the devastation and urged foreign donors to speed up assistance to the 20 million people affected.
Yeah, it may well be one of the worst floods in recorded history.
Ban’s comments reflect the concern of the international community about the unfolding disaster in Pakistan, which is battling Al Qaeda and Taliban militants and is beset by a weak and unpopular government and an anemic economy propped up by international assistance.
Do you think the MSM could get through one article without mention AQ?
“This has been a heart-wrenching day for me,’’ Ban said after flying over the hard-hit areas with President Asif Ali Zardari. “I will never forget the destruction and suffering I have witnessed today. In the past, I have witnessed many natural disasters around the world, but nothing like this.’’
Listen to him!
It's been a WRENCHING DAY for HIM!!
It has been PURE HELL for the people of Pakistan for WEEKS -- and it is GETTING WORSE by the MINUTE!
What a self-centered asshole!!
And thanks for adding to the global warming with the plane ride.
Ban visited Myanmar, formerly known as Burma, after Cyclone Nargis devastated the country in May 2008, killing an estimated 138,000 people. He also flew to China’s Sichuan province just days after an earthquake killed nearly 90,000 people in March 2008.
The floods that began more than two weeks ago in Pakistan’s mountainous northwest have now hit about one-quarter of the country, especially its agricultural heartland. While the death toll of 1,500 is relatively small, the scale of the flooding and number of people whose lives have been disrupted is staggering....
Mind-boggling.
Once the floods recede, billions more will be needed for reconstruction and getting people back to work in the already-poor nation of 170 million. The International Monetary Fund has warned the floods could dent economic growth and fuel inflation....
Zardari has been criticized for his response to the disaster, especially for going ahead with a state visit to Europe just as the crisis was unfolding. Zardari has visited victims twice since returning, but images of him at a family owned chateau while in France are likely to hurt him for months to come.
In his first comments to the media since returning, he defended the government.
“The government has responded very responsibly,’’ he said, saying the army, the police, the navy, and officials are all working to relieve the suffering. “I would appeal to the press to understand the magnitude of the disaster.’’
He does have a point there.
Zardari said it will take up to two years to recover....
The monsoon rains that triggered the disaster are forecast to fall for several weeks yet, meaning the worst may not yet be over. Over the weekend, tens of thousand of people were forced to flee their homes when they were inundated by fresh floods from the swollen River Indus.
While local charities and international agencies have helped hundreds of thousands of people with food, water, shelter, and medical treatment, the scale of the disaster has meant that many millions have received little or no assistance. The United Nations has voiced fears that disease in overcrowded and unsanitary relief camps may yet cause more deaths.
Earlier yesterday, survivors fought over food being handed out from a relief vehicle close to the town of Sukkur in hard-hit Sindh province, ripping at each others’ clothes and causing such chaos that the distribution had to be abandoned....
This could REALLY SPIRAL out of control fast!
Waters 5 feet deep washed through Derra Allah Yar, a city of 300,000 people on the border of Sindh and Baluchistan provinces, said government official Salim Khoso. About 200,000 fled the city and Khoso said he did not know how they would be fed.
“We are here like beggars,’’ said Mukhtar Ali, 45, an accountant living on the side of a highway along with thousands of other people....--more--"
Unlike Americans, the Pakistani people don't put up with much s***:
"Pakistanis protest sluggish flood aid; More rains may worsen crisis and destabilize nation" by Ashraf Khan, Associated Press | August 17, 2010
SUKKUR, Pakistan — Angry flood survivors in Pakistan blocked a highway to protest slow delivery of aid as heavy rain lashed makeshift housing yesterday with a forecast of more flooding increasing the urgency of the international relief effort.
Pakistan’s worst floods in recorded history began more than two weeks ago in the mountainous northwest and have spread throughout the country. Some 20 million people and 62,000 square miles of land — about one-fifth of the country — have been affected.
The scale of the disaster has raised concerns it could destabilize the country, which is pivotal to US hopes of defeating Al Qaeda and the Taliban.
They always have to mention.... sigh.
Hundreds of victims blocked a major highway with stones and garbage near the hard-hit Sukkur area, complaining they were being treated like animals. Protester Kalu Mangiani said government officials only came to hand out food when media were present.
“They are throwing packets of food to us like we are dogs. They are making people fight for these packets,’’ he said.
The UN children’s agency warned that 3.5 million children were at high risk of deadly waterborne disease such as diarrhea and cholera. It said it did not have enough funds to distribute clean water to victims, or give them medical care....
The latest flooding hit a poor region on the border between Sindh and Baluchistan provinces over the weekend. Sher Khan Bazai, the top government official in Nasirabad district, said 25,000 families had been made homeless by waters 8-feet deep in some places. About 4,000 small villages had been either cut off or washed out.
I don't know about you; however, that is over my head.
When the floodwaters recede, millions of farmers who used the Indus River to irrigate their crops — and propel Pakistan’s economy — face an uncertain future.
The UN has warned that unless farmers in hard-hit Punjab and Sindh provinces manage to plant their winter crop of wheat in mid-September as normal, there might be food shortages in the region and the nation as a whole.
I'd say it is a certainty.
How the hell are they going to be able to plant crops in a month?
The extent of the damage is still being calculated, and new flooding is occurring....
The disruption in food supplies is causing price increases across the country.
More than 70 percent of affected people rely on agriculture for their livelihood, according to the UN. Many are subsistence farmers like Abdur Razaq, who had 15 acres of land where he grazed two buffalo and two cows. The money he got from those animals was enough to feed his wife and five children.
He said authorities told him that his land was safe from the floods but that turned out to be false: the high water came rapidly at night. He could only think of saving his family, leaving his animals behind.
(Blog editor is speechless)
The Indus has its source in Tibet. From there, it skirts China, heads into India then enters Pakistan south of the Karakoram range before starting its long journey — some 1,976 miles — through the heart of the country into the Arabian Sea in Karachi.
The river has irrigated crops since the Bronze Age, when the region was home to the thriving Indus Valley Civilization. The current system of canals and dams that make it the breadbasket of Pakistan date back to British colonial rule.
By the time the river gets to Punjab and Sindh, it can reach more than a half-mile wide during a normal monsoon season.
Now, after floods fed by exceptionally heavy monsoon rains, it stretches more than 15 miles.--more--"
Of course, it is ALL about the WAR in the end!
"Flooding could weaken Pakistan security; Army shifts from insurgents to relief" by Griff Witte, Washington Post | August 18, 2010
A woman fell off a truck distributing relief goods in Muzaffargarh, Pakistan. The nation is dealing with food shortages. (Aaron Favila/Associated Press)
I hope and pray she is okay and unhurt!
Notice the other woman running to help?
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — Staggered by the scale of destruction from this summer’s catastrophic floods, Pakistani officials have begun to acknowledge that the country’s security could be gravely affected if more international aid does not arrive soon.
The floods have submerged an area roughly the size of Italy, displaced 12 percent of the population, and destroyed billions of dollars worth of infrastructure and crops.
(Blog editor in a state of disbelief)
But with the government admittedly overwhelmed and foreign aid only trickling in, the worst may be still to come, as Pakistan struggles to deal with food shortages, disease outbreaks, and a mass migration of homeless families.
And they already had refugee problems because of the war.
Of 10,000 patients cared for by Doctors Without Borders, the group said, about 10 percent were treated for acute watery diarrhea, a mild form of cholera.
That just really makes the whole catastrophe even more unbearable.
All those factors have the potential to further destabilize a nation undermined by weak governance and a vicious insurgency even before the crisis.
Seeing as the army is having trouble moving around with their equipment I doubt the "terrorists" are going to able to do much.
“There are already signs that people are restive,’’ said Major General Athar Abbas, a military spokesman. “If not addressed, it could balloon and will create a security situation in the areas where the government has not taken care of people’s needs.’’
Yeah, that's when people get restive.
The army has had to reorient in recent weeks, shifting its focus from counterinsurgency toward relief and recovery missions. A potential offensive in the militant haven of North Waziristan has been placed on indefinite hold, as has the resettlement of hundreds of thousands of refugees from last fall’s battle in South Waziristan. Meanwhile, efforts to rebuild the Swat Valley, the scene of intense fighting last year, are back to square one after flooding from monsoon rains knocked out every bridge and many schools, health clinics, and communications towers.
“The so-called war on terror has to be on hold,’’ said Ayaz Amir, a security analyst and a member of Pakistan’s Parliament. “As long as the nation, the government, and the army are dealing with this flood situation, the war takes a back seat.’’
That is bad news for US forces in Afghanistan, where commanders seeking to turn around a flagging war effort are relying heavily on Pakistani cooperation. It could particularly affect plans in eastern Afghanistan, where the United States had been contemplating a fall offensive in areas directly across the border from North and South Waziristan.
That is a real slim silver lining, but I guess I'll take it.
F***ing U.S. empire and its damn offensives!
The Pakistani Taliban have not made visible efforts to exploit the crisis. Although some Islamic charities linked to banned militant groups have distributed aid in certain areas, the Taliban have remained relatively quiet since the flooding began three weeks ago.
Yeah, the Taliban never do anything good. They are just total evil!
Abbas said there was no indication that the group was mobilizing for major attacks, and analysts said Taliban operations could have been hamstrung by the floods.
One would think.
The Taliban may also be wary of alienating the public by carrying out strikes at a time of mass hardship.
Like they are human with a heart?
“We can do with a lull on both sides,’’ Amir said.
But it is not clear that the lull will last. The floods have inundated some of the poorest and least accessible areas of Pakistan, many of which were already fertile recruiting grounds for militants.And WHY was THIS NEXT PARAGRAPH CUT from the WEB VERSION?!!!
Some heavily affected areas of Swat can be reached only by helicopter, and residents are building wooden bridges by hand to reestablish links to the outside world.
--more--"
And LOOK WHO ELSE is HELPING OUT, America:
"Medvedev talks with Afghan, Pakistani leaders" by Vladimir Isachenkov, Associated Press Writer | August 18, 2010
MOSCOW --Russian President Dmitry Medvedev on Wednesday offered Pakistan support in dealing with catastrophic floods as he hosted the leaders of Afghanistan, Pakistan and Tajikistan for talks on efforts to stabilize the region.
Medvedev began his meeting with Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari in Russia's Black Sea resort of Sochi by expressing condolences over the floods that have killed about 1,500 and affected some 20 million people -- or one Pakistani in nine.
"We are mourning together with you and we are ready to provide all the necessary assistance," Medvedev said.
A Russian Emergency Situations Ministry plane delivered relief supplies to Pakistan on Tuesday, and another such flight will be conducted Thursday.
The four-way talks at Medvedev's seaside residence focused on fighting terrorism and drugs spreading from Afghanistan. Medvedev also spoke about Russia's desire for closer economic ties with Afghanistan and Pakistan.
The Russian president has previously held similar talks, seeking to strengthen Russia's clout in the volatile region....
Why nothing about the fires the last two days, MSM?
Because they went radioactive?
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Also see: WHO Let Loose the Polio in Tajikistan
That turned out to be nothing but a one-day wonder.
"UN says aid for Pakistan is lagging; Funds far short of $460m target" by Neil MacFarquhar, New York Times | August 19, 2010
Flood victims competed for food supplies at a distribution point at an air force relief camp in Sukkur yesterday. (Rizwan Tabassum/AFP/Getty Images)
UNITED NATIONS — With monsoon rains continuing in Pakistan yesterday and water-borne diseases reportedly spreading, international relief officials said the pace of aid donations was still not sufficient to deal with what might be the nation’s worst disaster.
“The scale of the response is still not commensurate with the scale of the disaster of almost unprecedented magnitude,’’ said Martin Nesirky, the spokesman for UN secretary general Ban Ki-moon, reading a statement from the humanitarian affairs office. “This is a catastrophe that continues to unfold.’’
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Although the disaster has fallen in the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, when charity is considered a duty, Muslim states have donated virtually nothing....
Karen Allen, a UNICEF official in Islamabad, the capital. “Whole cities of up to 250,000 people have been evacuated, and people have lost everything.’’
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