PRESS RELEASE
‘Worst Disaster in UN History’:
The Salvation Army Serving in Pakistan
August 18 , 2010 – The Salvation Army is on the ground in Pakistan, providing direct and indirect support to flood survivors through its 130 service centers and 560 outposts. The United Nations says the floods have created the largest humanitarian crisis in UN history, greater than both the 2004 tsunami and the recent earthquake in Haiti. An estimated 20 million people have been affected after steady monsoon rains began falling in July, with heavy rainfall expected for several more weeks.
The Salvation Army is busy distributing bedding and cooking utensils in affected areas. It is also gathering funds to purchase a large number of tents and other urgent supplies.
Bedding and shelter are critical, according to Captain Washington Daniel, The Salvation Army’s District Commander in the capital city of Islamabad. He recently visited the city of Peshawar and had this to report:
“Most houses are damaged badly or have fallen down completely due to the flood water. River water came into many houses, rising to above six feet in some places. People are looking for shelter, going to relatives’ houses or to churches.
"People are feeling hopeless. The government and other non-government agencies have not properly visited them, helped them or prayed with them. They said that people from The Salvation Army are the first to visit and pray with them.”
Locally, the Twin Cities Salvation Army is collaborating with other service agencies to provide aid in Pakistan, recently donating 10 pallets of children’s clothing. The clothing will soon be shipped to Pakistan through the Minnesota-based non-profit Hope for the City, which is sending medical supplies.
The Salvation Army has been serving in Pakistan since 1883. In addition to hundreds of service centers and outposts, it operates several hostels, children’s homes, schools and training centers.
Donations to The Salvation Army’s relief efforts in Pakistan can be made by clicking here.
