Today in Islamabad, administrator Samantha Power announced that the United States, through the US Agency for International Development (USAID), is providing an additional $20 million in humanitarian assistance to support people affected by the severe floods in Pakistan resulting from from heavy monsoon rains, as well as landslides and glacial lake explosions, which have been ongoing since June. The impact of these floods was felt widely across Pakistan. An estimated 33 million people were affected, nearly 1,400 died and more than 12,700 were injured. Infrastructure in the flood’s path was decimated, with more than 1.7 million homes, nearly 13.8 million acres of farmland, thousands of kilometers of roads and hundreds of bridges damaged or destroyed.
This support builds on an announcement last week of $30 million in humanitarian assistance to help the people of Pakistan affected by these devastating floods. As of August 12, the United States has provided more than $50.1 million in disaster assistance to help the people of Pakistan. With these additional funds, USAID partners will continue to provide emergency supplies, multipurpose cash and shelter assistance, livelihood support, logistics, and humanitarian response coordination systems. USAID will also prioritize water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) assistance as a preventive measure to mitigate the anticipated spread of waterborne diseases.
USAID also deployed a Disaster Response Team (DART) to lead the US government’s humanitarian response efforts in Pakistan. This elite team, made up of USAID disaster experts, is assessing damage, identifying priority needs, and coordinating with the government of Pakistan and humanitarian partners. The United States is the largest humanitarian donor to Pakistan.
The United States is deeply saddened by the flood victims and the loss of loved ones, livelihoods and homes across Pakistan. We stand with the communities in Pakistan during this difficult time and will continue to help them in this time of need.
For the latest updates on USAID humanitarian assistance in Pakistan, visit: https://www.usaid.gov/humanitarian-assistance/pakistan
