After a harrowing escape from deadly floods in Pakistan, Nasreen and her family are thankful for an emergency distribution of food and water they received from World Vision.

August 2010

By Muhammad Ali, World Vision Pakistan.

Just last month, Nasreen, her husband Rasi, and their children lived in a mud house near the river in Mohib Banda, a village in the town of Pabbi, Pakistan. Razi worked as a laborer, and the family owned two cows.

Then, monsoon rains of epic proportions started to fall, and the river began flooding. At 6 a.m. one morning as the water rose toward the roof of their home, Nasreen and her family decided to make a dash for the tallest building in their neighborhood: the local mosque and school.

For three days, they crammed together on the rooftop of the school with more than 100 people from houses close to the river, exposed to the elements and waiting to be rescued — or at least for something to eat.

After three days on the roof, a Pakistani military helicopter dropped food supplies. Later that day, a helicopter began airlifting people to higher ground, out of the reach of the swirling torrent of mud and water.

‘You are the first people who have approached us’

Though safer, the conditions at the camp where they have taken refuge are hardly ideal. Nasreen and her children share a classroom at the Pabbi Government High School with about 50 people. Severe overcrowding contributes to the stifling, suffocating heat and stench in each of its rooms.

On August 5, they were provided at least some relief. World Vision began an emergency food distribution in the area, giving out food parcels containing milk, bread, snacks, biscuits, and water to 1,000 families at that school and others nearby — including Nasreen and her family. The parcels are benefiting around 7,000 people.

“We have been living on the charity of the locals and the surrounding villages for now,” said Nasreen. “You are the first people who have approached us, and you’ve given us the food and water with dignity.”

(Read the latest updates on our response to the flooding in Pakistan.)

As relief efforts continue, support urgently needed

In the coming days, World Vision plans to scale up its distributions to reach more families with food parcels (including wheat flour, sugar, tea, cooking oil, salt, rice, lentils, and dates), cooking sets, hygiene kits, and shelter kits. We have also opened an emergency health clinic to help address concerns over outbreaks of waterborne illness.

“People don’t need one thing; they need literally everything. And the number of people in need is so massive,” said Shaharyar Bangash, World Vision’s program manager in Pakistan. “Thousands of homes are destroyed, and the ones still standing are full of mud and will need to be cleaned before families can return.”

Bangash’s assessment reflects a scene that is increasingly dire, with millions affected in a country where more rain is forecast and resources are critically low. As World Vision continues rushing assistance to survivors of these devastating floods, we ask for the help of our supporters to fund this full-scale relief response.