THE UNITED NATIONS WORLD FOOD

Published purpose

September 16, 2010 - Pakistan is experiencing its worst monsoon flooding in at least 80 years. Government estimates put the number of people affected by the floods at 21 million. Millions of people have been displaced and over 1.8 million houses have been either damaged or destroyed. Assessments to establish the degree to which affected populations are in need of immediate humanitarian assistance continue. With Canada's support, the World Food Programme (WFP) is providing essential air transportation and logistical support to the humanitarian community in its efforts to provide timely and effective assistance to the affected population. This support enables the humanitarian community to implement emergency relief activities in areas inaccessible by surface transportation, including the transport of key humanitarian relief items, and provides the capacity for timely assessments and medical evaluations. WFP's establishment of emergency telecommunications systems, supply-chain management, and storage facilities is further increasing the humanitarian community's capacity to respond to the crisis.