FLOOD APPEAL

Pakistan’s deadliest floods in decades killed more than 1,500 people and overwhelmed government efforts to provide aid, officials and relief workers said. More than 1,500 people have died in Pakistan’s northwestern province, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, said Noor Muhammad, a press officer for the provincial development ministry. Government and private relief agencies are managing to provide “only 5 percent of what’s required,” Mujahid Khan, provincial spokesman for the Edhi Foundation, which runs Pakistan’s largest ambulance and rescue services, said by phone from Peshawar.

The flood’s death toll may rise to 3,000, said Edhi Foundation’s Khan. He spoke from Peshawar, the capital of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, previously called the North-West Frontier Province.

Officials in Pakistan’s other provinces — Punjab, Sindh and Baluchistan — braced for the floodwaters moving down the Indus River and its tributaries. The Sindh government ordered residents evacuated from locales along the Indus.

The floods, which according to U.K. charity Oxfam may be Pakistan’s worst in 35 years, may cut the production of rice, sugarcane and corn by about 10 percent to 15 percent, said Nasir Cheema, president of Pakistan’s Chamber of Agriculture.

Pakistani television networks showed survivors clinging to trees or debris in muddy, raging mountain rivers.

Here is the story thus far, as told by the numbers (all of these numbers are likely to keep rising, much like the flood waters):

Cost to Agriculture:
US$1,000,000,000
(US$ 1 Billion in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtoonkhwa only)

Pakistanis Affected:
2,500,000
(including incidents of disease and displacement and with rising threats of epidemics)

Households needing help:
100,000
(Mostly in Khyber Pakhtoonkhwa)

People still waiting to be evacuated:
27,000
(Including 1500 tourists)

International Relief Pledged so far:

US$30,000,000+
(Including US$10 million from the United States, another US$10 million from the United Nations and US$8 million from United Kingdom)

Death Toll:
1650+
(Estimate of 1500+ in Khyber Pakhtoonkhwa only)

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CELEBRITIES FOR A CAUSE

SAMI YUSUF

Each one of us cherish a proud moment in our lives. A moment where we gave, not necessarily with the intention to receive but we gave because we thought it was needed, we thought it was the right thing to do. The suffering and painful stories, photos, and footages from the flooded regions of Pakistan, kept me up all night where I was working on releasing a charity single "Hear Your Call". I decided to donate all profits to a UN sponsored charity Save the Children who've been actively and effectively involved in relief efforts.

ATIF ASLAM

Strings, Sabri Brothers and Arif Lohar are doing telethons to raise funds for the flood victims. Ali Zafar is going through the details of doing shows to collect aids. Salman Ahmad is reprising his early hit as a flood song to motivate people. All these and many more.

ANGELINA JOLIE

ANGELINA JOLIE is leading donations for the flood relief effort in Pakistan – the superstar has handed over $100,000 (£66,666) of her own money to help those worst affected.

MIKE SHINODA OF LINKIN PARK

Today, Mike Shinoda has step forth to help towards the situation with his non profit organization “Music for Relief“.