Flood victims in Pakistan
The New Year rang strong with natural disasters as there were a number of countries were hit with severe flooding across the globe. Brazil experienced the worst floods the country has witnessed in decades, leaving more than 800 dead and 15,000 homeless. Flooding submerged the entire eastern region of Sri Lanka affecting more than 1 million people. In the Philippines some 500,000 people have now been left homeless after a month of nonstop rain, and more heavy rains are predicted to fall on the country. Additionally the extreme 2010 flooding in Pakistan following the country’s monsoon season in July, which affected some 20 million, continues to leave millions of child facing malnutrition.
As with all natural disasters it is children who are most often hardest hit in the disaster and recovery efforts. The last month of flooding has left hundreds of thousands of children homeless, many of which are now at risk of disease and malnutrition. Disaster relief is underway in all four countries as NGO such as UNICEF work to reunite families, immunize children, supply safe drinking water, and to distribute items such as; bed nets, nutrition, and sanitation supplies.
Despite efforts by NGO their is an increased need for humanitarian relief for flood victims, many who are not only at increased risk for disease and malnutrition, but also sexual exploitation and human trafficking. Increased funding and aid is being sought in all countries, however the response for victims has felt slow and under-met as children continue to remain displaced, out of school, and suffer from hunger and disease. As in the wake of the infamous Tsunami in Indonesia many experts are again saying the disasters could have been lessened with early warning systems.
