US providing additional $30M to aid flood-ravaged Pakistan

By Michael Hernandez

WASHINGTON (AA) - The US administration announced an additional $30 million to assist Pakistan as it recovers from mass flooding that has killed over 1,000 people.

The funding will flow through USAID to local partners.

The international development agency said the assistance will prioritize "urgently needed support for food, nutrition, multi-purpose cash, safe water, improved sanitation and hygiene, and shelter assistance."

A USAID disaster management specialist arrived in Islamabad on Monday "to assess the impact of the floods and coordinate with partners on response efforts," the agency said in a statement.

"The United States is deeply saddened by the devastating loss of life and livelihoods throughout Pakistan. We stand with Pakistan during this difficult time," it added, noting Washington is the single largest humanitarian donor to Pakistan.

The announcement comes after UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres issued a flash appeal for $160 million as millions cope with the disaster.

Guterres described the recent floods, which have inundated nearly half of Pakistan, as a "climate catastrophe," noting that South Asia is one of the world's "climate crisis hotspots."

The most destructive monsoons in Pakistan's recent history combined with raging floods have shorn mountainsides, swept away entire buildings, and inundated over 70 districts, turning them into inland rivers.

Nearly 1,200 people have lost their lives, while more than a million houses have been destroyed or damaged since mid-June, according to the country's National Disaster Management Authority.

Constant rains and raging floods have also destroyed a large chunk of the country's infrastructure and agricultural lands, including hundreds of roads and bridges, and washed away nearly a million animals.