Mohammad Farhan runs multiple charities and orphanages across Pakistan through his organization, House of Dreams. He said his team on the ground in northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province called to say they had just watched a nearby hotel flood. “A lot of people were just jumping into the water,” he said. “They were trying to work through the current and some were saved. Some small children (who) did not manage to save them. They just drowned. “It’s scary. There’s no water. There’s no food. There’s people living in the shops. The kids don’t have clothes.” Pakistani officials say the floods caused by an unprecedented monsoon season, fueled by climate change, are unlike anything they’ve seen before. About 33 million people in villages, towns and cities were caught off guard by the speed and power of the floods. Hundreds have died. The United Nations children’s agency said this week that more than three million children are in need of humanitarian assistance and are at increased risk of disease, drowning and malnutrition. More than 90,000 cases of diarrhea in a single day were reported from one of the worst-hit southern provinces, Sindh, this week. The northern regions of the country are also running out of drinking water. Skin diseases and eye infections have been captured. Pakistan and the UN have appealed for $160 million in emergency funding. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the floods in Pakistan are a message to the world. “Let’s stop sleepwalking towards the destruction of our planet by climate change,” he said in a video message at a ceremony in Islamabad to launch the appeal. Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif thanked the UAE via Twitter for delivering the first tranche of aid goods worth $50 million. He also thanked the United States for announcing $30 million in aid. Canada has offered $5 million. Farhan said he had to go back to Canada to take care of his security, limousines and construction companies, but was constantly on the phone with his team as he watched videos of kids living on their roofs, on the streets and pulling a the other. from under the collapsed buildings. He said his team goes door to door, pulling families and pets out of their homes and taking them to higher ground. He and his team were also able to bring three truckloads of food, clothing and aid to the area — but the locals need much more. “We got two cranes the other day and we’re clearing bigger buildings, mosques and houses that have up to five to six feet of dirt (and mud),” he said. Farhan said that in some parts of the country, entire buildings are under water and in other places, the water is up to people’s stomachs and knees. He said he was reminded of the “chaos” of the Calgary floods in 2013. “Everybody was afraid to drive downtown, to drive on the highway because it was full of water. (In Pakistan), some places don’t have roads. They don’t have anything.” Farhan said many of the more than 200,000 Canadians of Pakistani descent worry about their families back home. Saif Pannu is one of them. After watching COVID-19 ravage Pakistan, Pannu said it was hard to see news that showed more pain and suffering in the country of his birth. “It’s a disaster. It’s really sad,” said the Vancouver businessman. “We were just coming out of (the) pandemic and all of a sudden this happens,” said Pannu, who is also president of the Pakistan Canada Association. “Pakistan was already suffering from many other issues. Now villages and towns are under water. I am in pain for that.” Pannu said Pakistanis living in the north helped the army bring food and aid to people living in the southern areas of the country that were hit hardest by the floods. It encourages Canadians to donate money to local charities. “The best thing is to send them money and locally, they can arrange the supplies,” he said. “Sending supplies from Vancouver or Calgary is not easy. Neighboring countries help with supplies. Pakistan gets tents from China.” The original government estimates the damage to Pakistan’s economy at $10 billion. “Some families may never recover, but some people we can bring back home,” Pannu said. “Whole cities, beautiful, unique cities are under water.” This report by The Canadian Press was first published on September 3, 2022. — With files from The Associated Press —— This story was produced with financial assistance from Meta and the Canadian Press News Fellowship.
