ICC Note:
As Pakistan’s annual flood waters continue to rise, the Pakistani Church has called all Christians to a day of prayer. So far, 257 people have been killed in the floods and an additional 461 have been injured. In total, 551,159 people have been affected by the flood. Christians and other minorities are particularly affected by Pakistan’s floods due to discrimination in the distribution of aid. Muslim flood victims are often given priority when aid is distributed and forcing Christians and other minority communities to “wait their turn.” Often, there is no more aid to distribute after Pakistan’s Muslim communities have been served. Please join Pakistan’s Christians in a day of prayer today.
9/12/2014 Pakistan (Asia News) – The floods that hit Pakistan on 5 September have so far caused the death of 257 people in Punjab province, injuring an additional 461. Some 1,413 homes have been severely damaged with another 265 totally destroyed. In the province, a total of 551,159 people have been affected, about a million in the whole country.
To cope with the situation, the Catholic Church has called for a day of prayer tomorrow, in support of survivors. Meanwhile, Mgr. Rufin Anthony, bishop of Islamabad/Rawalpindi, visited Sharoon Colony, a predominantly Christian settlement, where he met residents. The village saw more than 200 homes destroyed and hundreds of people are still waiting for help.
“When we saw the water level rise, my family and I went up on the roof,” said Asghar Masih, one of the residents whose house was swept away by the raging river. “Suddenly, the house started to slip to one side. We ran down and out and then helplessly saw it disappear into the river.”
According to the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), rains destroyed about 435,843 acres of farmland. In Azad Kashmir, 3,986 homes were partially destroyed and 2,132 are a total write-off.
The Punjab Highway Department reported that 20 roads were closed to traffic, and in the central city of Jhang, the authorities deliberately broke a levee to divert floodwaters.
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