Emergency appeal: Pakistan floods

Responding immediately to Pakistan’s monsoon flooding, Merlin has scaled up our existing operations in three of the worst affected areas: Swat, Buner valley, and Nowshera districts. Merlin’s medical experts are driving the rescue effort for the 1.5 million people thought to have been affected.

Whole villages have been washed away, roads, bridges and telecommunications totally destroyed leaving tens of thousands of survivors still unreachable. Merlin is airlifting medics into areas totally cut off by the floods, setting up health clinics and sending mobile teams out to treat survivors.

Forecasts suggest that the extreme rains will continue for three more days and water sources have been contaminated by the floods. Merlin’s Operations Manager Marinella Bebos warns “the death toll is rising every hour and Merlin’s main concern is to contain the spread of disease amongst homeless survivors. Diarrhea and other communicable diseases will claim large numbers if we do not act fast.”

Merlin has been in Khyber-Pakhtoonkhwa – one of the worst hit areas – for over two years and is working closely with partners and local authorities to ensure we get vital medical care to survivors. Our teams are pulling in medical supplies from other programmes in the country and calling on our in country experts to ensure a rapid and effective response to the worst flooding Pakistan has seen in 80 years.

• In Swat, Merlin has set up 12 clinics already and has four mobile health teams up and running – we are looking to further expand its assistance in the valley
• In Nowshera, Merlin is providing health services in Jalozai camp – one of the biggest camps in the country for internally displaced people. We are in the process of expanding our level of support in the district
• In Buner district, Merlin has 10 health facilities and three mobile health teams, reaching as many people as we can
• Merlin is also keeping a close eye on the evolving situation in Charssadda and Shangla (the other two worst affected districts). Depending on the needs in the ground, Merlin may launch additional responses in coordination with the health cluster

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