Floods

[lady_of_clunn]

The water just doesn't want to go away.

It's awful. It's much, much worse than awful but I can't think of any adequate word. North and south of where I am it's hell on earth.

Between 17 and 20 million people have been affected. That's what the UN and the Pakistani government says.

'Affected' meaning their houses, all belongings, lifestock, crops and even their families have been lost in the masses of waters. Soon, waterborne diseases will start rampaging...  For at least two years, nearly all food will have to be imported as practically the entire crop of this year is lost. I do not know how the poorer families will be able to pay for imported food.

Many areas haven't even been reached because they are so remote and bridges and roads have simply disappeared.

Governments are sending aid but my mother says that at least in Germany, private people are reluctant to donate because they fear that the money will not reach the flood victims.

On my flight here I personally met Red Cross aid workers who assured me that they are controlling who will receive and what will be done with the money.

This catatsrophe is bigger than the 2004 tsunami, the 2005 earthquake in Kashmir and the Haiti earthquake combined. I don't know why it's so bloody quiet out there.

Comments

[rivertempest.livejournal.com]

I've been so worried about you, hun - so much is happening to Pakistan right now!

Please remain safe, you have my constant prayers. *tight huggles*

[lady-of-clunn.livejournal.com]

Thank you!

Our area is very safe, it's just heartbreaking to see what is going on in the rest of the country.

[elvishly.livejournal.com]

Yeah, the main thing about donating, is that Pakistan doesn't have the greatest public image and so people are hesitant about corruption etc. Are you keeping up with the BBC news website? They have a few articles on the situation, why people aren't donating etc. It makes for interesting reading... minus the comments. Some of which are pretty demeaning. e.g. citing Pakistan's nuclear commitments, lack of help from other Muslim countries like Saudi Arabia...

Personally, I am sticking to the big companies. There's a degree of transparency involved, I guess. :-/

However, I am rather happy about the UK response, even if it was expected. :|

My thoughts are with you guys. ♥

[lady-of-clunn.livejournal.com]

Thank you!

Well, Saudi Arabia tends to sit on their hands as long as it's not about their own business investments. Or so it seems.

I know that the public image is the biggest problem. In 2005, the lack of compassion and donations for the earthquake victims was devestating.

I am also quite happy about the UK and German response, I just wish some peoplke would see the farmer, who does not even have his small goat herd anymore. This is a devestating setback for the entire country and since poverty, social inequality and extremism go hand in hand... *sigh*

[ratherbsailing.livejournal.com]

Oh no! I hope you and your family will be alright? This is upsetting, going to check the news for more info. on it.

[ratherbsailing.livejournal.com]

This is odd....the American press isn't really covering the way they should. Although they don't ever really cover the east well in general...found this

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mira-veda/lack-of-media-coverage-fo_b_689380.html

Hmm...going to do more digging.

In the meantime, I hope you and yours are alright. Keep us posted when you can. I'll keep you guys in my prayers.

[lady-of-clunn.livejournal.com]

The area where we live is not under threat.

Frankly, the American media have a history of being... very selective when it comes to coverage. I remember being very confused about the news I had access to when I lived in PA and what I was hearing from home.

Did you get chapter 47?

[elvishly.livejournal.com]

Wait, what, the US isn't giving it masses of coverage? :| Whaaaaat! Someone needs to explain this to me. :|

[lady-of-clunn.livejournal.com]

Um... Pakistan is a scary country with scary-looking people, who might just all be taliban?

Ergo, it's okay for them to drown?

[ratherbsailing.livejournal.com]

That's basically the sentiment that I'm picking up from the stuff i've read so far. So much intolerance for anything remotely associated with Islam or Muslims over here. It's even worse now with the big controversy about the Mosque and Ground Zero....people are getting very scary over here, and I suspect the media isn't going to be changing their focus to be more sympathetic any time soon.

[lady-of-clunn.livejournal.com]

The worst thing is that this is not going to improve the political climate whatsoever...

[elvishly.livejournal.com]

:| :| !!!

I knew the UK would have a lot of coverage b/c of its history, but these floods are pretty intense; I thought the US would have given it some priority? I've just come across this though: http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2010/08/145997.htm

[(Anonymous)]

The US military is very much involved in the rescue and aid efforts here and they try to show this as much as possible.

They are trying to get as much Pakistani media coverage as possible. They even officially say that this is mainly because they need the Pakistani people to see America in a positive light, win hearts and minds, blabla, need a strong ally in the region and so on and so on.

At the same time I have a feeling that they don't necessarily want the American people to know that they are actually helping quite a lot.

[elvishly.livejournal.com]

hearts and minds ... yes, that thought did come up whilst I was thinking about this... What you said seems possible and probably what IS happening. sighhh

[ratherbsailing.livejournal.com]

Yes, thank you! I'm trying to wait until Literary and Tarnished look it over before posting, but I'm not sure if I will. Literary has already beta'd it once and I think Tarnished is out of town...maybe I should just go ahead and post it?

[lady-of-clunn.livejournal.com]

Well, if it's already been beta'ed... *grins*

I am always for posting :)

[lady-of-clunn.livejournal.com]

It's also interesting that the US army is quite involved. Here they try to jump in front of every camera they can get and they quite openly say that the reason for the efforts are to achieve a better image for America in Pakistan.

[clockworkwasp.livejournal.com]

My company donate our dress down Friday money to a different charity each month, this time we're giving it to the DEC Flood Appeal. I think the scale of it is part of the issue, most people can't or won't come to terms with the extent of the devastation.

[lady-of-clunn.livejournal.com]

I agree.

There is only so much the news can show and it starts looking all the same.

Here, the coverage is of course extensive and you get all the individual stories rather than just more and more pictures of water and refugee camps.

[scarletladyy.livejournal.com]

Oh my, I hope you're okay <3

[lady-of-clunn.livejournal.com]

We're fine, it's just heartbreaking to see that the rest of teh country is not...

[draconis23.livejournal.com]

It's absolutely devastating to see the news these days. Everywhere you look natural disasters. I just talked about it with my mum and we came to the conclusion that it's too much. We donate and donate and donate, but at one point it just gets too much. I watched the charity show on ZDF last night, even the Bundeskanzlerin was there. We do what we can, but even though Germany is one of the richest countries around we still have a lot of problems ourselves, but who am I telling that, right?

Okay, I stop ranting now. I hope you are safe. You're in my thoughts.

*hugs you real tight*

[lady-of-clunn.livejournal.com]

I agree that it is too much.

What I am upset about is that people fall over themselves to donate for the tsunami for instance, where many victims were tourists. I guess a lot of people had also been there/thought about going there.

The humanitarian catastrophe here is beyond imagination and I am truly scared what this country will become if it gets any more impoverished and corrupt as disaster and corruption seem to go hand in hand...

[draconis23.livejournal.com]

Yeah, that sounds right. It is a shame and probably one of the reasons the Americans don't even bother to cover it in the news accordingly.

I really hope for the best, although one seems so helpless, given the amount of suffering. A true tragedy.

[daiseechain.livejournal.com]

While my heart goes out to all those suffering through this, I must say I'm very relieved to hear that you and your family are still safe.

I had no idea the media weren't covering the problem very much in the States, as it's been one of the top stories here in the UK since it started and the media are still talking about it daily and continue asking for public assistance.

[lady-of-clunn.livejournal.com]

I must say that would the floods have been anywhere near here, I would not have come. No need to add to the people who need rescuing.

[robs55.livejournal.com]

It's good to hear that you're all safe, hun. *hugs*

As far as charitable donations go, I'm not exactly the most generous. But what I do give goes to a charity where I know exactly how it will be used. I'm a teensy bit paranoid about charities and money. Pakistan's public image doesn't help much either. I still feel for everyone caught up in the disaster though. I can't imagine how hard it is to lose everything.

[lady-of-clunn.livejournal.com]

I am not exactly generous, either.

What I am worried about is that the response to the earthquake in Kashmir was also quite half-hearted. It's like punishing the most vulnerable people for the countries politics, which in turn makes them more desperate and more receptive for extremists, who usually pick up the slack, give some sort of aid together with some nice indoctrination.

[willowfaerie2.livejournal.com]

When I was reading about the devastation to Pakistan on the web, I was thinking about you. I’m glad to hear you’re not in an area that has been badly hit. You are very right about the lack of coverage. I’m so sorry for the famer’s plight.

[lady-of-clunn.livejournal.com]

I am also glad I am nowhere near there.

Unrelated to the floods, I am thinking about going back to Europe due to something else. I will give it until mid-november and then I will have to make a decision...

[apkblack1.livejournal.com]

You know, I saw nothing about this in the news at all, and then saw this on a Jason Isaacs fangirl site ... http://twaud.io/79P

Embarrassing that this is how I found out about it. (It's several weeks old.) But then again, glad to know that someone somewhere is responding to it. And infuriating to know that it's not getting the press it should.

[lady-of-clunn.livejournal.com]

Well, it is getting loads of press in Europe, people are just a bit reluctant to respond due to teh country's public image.

I am just afraid that insufficient aid will just lead to more devestation and problems in the future...

[lokifan]

:( I'm really grateful you're safe... but it's all so awful! And I'm angry with David Cameron, not that he could have known, because I think his stupid 'exporting terror' comments have made things worse.

*goes to pay for her help_pakistan bids*

[lady-of-clunn.livejournal.com]

Yeah, the comments don't really help.

I am just afraid that the wrong people will be providing 'aid' along with some brain washing. Desperate people are very vulnerable to this sort of thing...