Islamabad, October 3, 2011 - The United States responded immediately to the needs of flood victims and is assisting flood-affected populations in Pakistan with food, shelter, and health care. In all, the U.S. government is providing approximately $19 million in humanitarian assistance in response to the Government of Pakistan's September 6 appeal and the UN's September 18 appeal.

The United States is committed to helping more than five million people in Balochistan and Sindh devastated by this year's floods. U.S. support includes emergency assistance as well as long-term support to help those affected to rebuild their lives and replant their crops. The United States will also work with Pakistan over the long term to help improve Pakistan's resilience to natural disasters so that future crises can be averted.

Health

To help prevent outbreaks of disease in flooded areas, the United States is funding mobile health clinics that can provide health services to 500,000 people. The United States is also providing safe drinking water and other hygiene items such as soap and buckets to help prevent water-borne illnesses.

Shelter

The United States has funded emergency shelter kits for nearly 20,000 families. These shelter kits provide families with emergency shelter as well as equipment to rebuild their homes once the flood waters recede.

Food

Partnering with Pakistan's National Disaster Management Authority, the United States began distributing food packages in the immediate aftermath of the flooding. U.S. assistance will benefit approximately 161,000 Pakistanis. The United States has also supported emergency shelter and health services for thousands of people who were forced to flee their homes due to the floods. The United States has provided 9,000 tons of rice to the World Food Program (WFP) which, when combined with other WFP food assistance, will meet the immediate food needs of 1.5 million people affected by flooding in Sindh Province for one month.