Secondary: Rapid Response Assemblies
FLOODS IN PAKISTAN
By James Lamont
NB: As with all rapid-response assemblies, the situation changes quickly. Please update before using.
 Suitable for Whole School
Aim
To explore the impact of the recent Pakistani floods.
Preparation and resources
Assembly
- Pakistan is struggling with a second monsoon season of terrible floods. In the Sindh region, near the Indian border and the mega-city of Hyderabad, more than two hundred people have died and 665,000 homes have been damaged. It is estimated that a total of eight million people have been affected by the crisis, and the situation is not improving.
- Aid is there, but the problem is getting it to people in time. Aid delivery organizations are understaffed, with many aid workers and their families caught up in the floods. The armed forces have stepped in, but even Pakistan’s huge army is not big enough to provide aid to all those who need it. It is a logistical nightmare: small groups holding out on high ground, surrounded by flooded lowlands. There has been a failure of co-ordination between aid agencies and the army, resulting in an inefficient distribution of aid packages. The Sindh government is now aware of this, so a more organized response is hoped for.
- The inadequate response to the flooding has demonstrated how complex natural disasters can be. In the immediate aftermath of a major event like flooding in an underdeveloped part of the world, unsanitary conditions and disease pose a major risk. Already two million people in Pakistan have been affected by flood-related diseases, such as diarrhoea. Snakebites and illnesses from insect bites, like malaria and dengue fever, are also a threat. Floods do not only bring with them disease; there is also the question of insecurity and the risk of other natural disasters such as landslides.
- A quick and decisive response to the original crisis is necessary otherwise there can be further damage. Even so, a quick response does seem to have failed here. This bout of flooding is the second serious one in two years for Pakistan. Given the complexities of a rescue and aid operation once the floods have taken effect, a prevention strategy rather than a response strategy would save lives in the future.
- Of course, no one can stop floods happening but, like many major problems, they grow bigger the more they are neglected at an early stage. For a successful early-stage response, co-operation from the wealthier world is required. India – a prosperous neighbour but also a traditional rival – is in a good position to help given the closeness of Sindh province to the Indian border. While it is wrong to blame the rest of the world for these floods, global co-operation may be the key to preventing future disasters.
Time for reflection
Listen to this prayer from the Bible and think for a while about how the lives of the people in Pakistan have been affected by the floods.
Psalm 69
Save me, O God, for the waters have come up to my neck.
I sink in deep mire, where there is no foothold;
I have come into deep waters, and the flood sweeps over me.
I am weary with my crying;
my throat is parched.
My eyes grow dim with waiting for my God.
We can’t imagine how awful life is for these people, half of whom are children.
But we can think about how we can help.
Many of you will know people who have family directly affected by the floods – how can you support them at this time?
Many charities are appealing for money to help with this crisis. How could your school contribute?
Let’s be quiet for a moment, and pray in our own ways for the people who have been made homeless through these floods.
Song and music
‘When I needed a neighbour’ (Come and Praise, 65)
‘Fragile’ by Sting, widely available to download.
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