News - Red Cross works in flood-stricken Asia
Source: British Red Cross Society - UK
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As devastating floods have
swept across huge areas of Asia, the British Red Cross has been working to support the people affected. The Red Cross mass sanitation unit (MSU) has been working in Sindh province, Pakistan,
since 21 July to promote sanitation and hygiene to reduce disease following the disaster.Vendela Fortune, MSU team leader said: "Many people have lost their home and have lost their belongings
after escaping the floods with only what they could carry. We are handing out hygiene kits and ensuring there are toilets and washing facilities for people to use."ResponseA second team of sanitation and hygiene specialists will replace the first team in Pakistan at the end of this week.In Pakistan around 67,500 homes have been damaged or destroyed, so many
people are sheltering in schools. Vendela Fortune explained: "In the schools there are sometimes up to 150 families living together with their water buffalo or goats."Several weeks ago, when
flood waters first began to inundate Pakistan's Baluchistan and Sindh provinces, the Red Cross sent a recovery specialist to work with a team to assess the damage and develop the Red Cross
International Emergency Appeal. Adequate shelter is a major concern for displaced people, so the Red Cross also sent a consultant to coordination the provision of emergency shelter by the UN
and other NGOs.DevastationFlooding has caused devastation across Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Nepal, and China in recent weeks, causing the deaths of nearly 1,400 people across
the five countries and affecting at least 206 million people. More than five million families have been displaced.In Bangladesh around 60 per cent of the population has been affected, and the
situation is feared to be deteriorating. In June and July the country experienced 35 per cent more rainfall than average and six districts have also been hit by tornadoes. Many displaced people are
living on the roadsides or taking shelter in public buildings such as schools. Meanwhile, heavy rain and flooding upstream in Nepal and India are a cause for continuing concern. The Red
Cross is asking the public to help people across the five countries by donating to the Asia Floods Appeal. Give to the Asia Floods AppealGive to the National Floods AppealRead more about the Asia floods
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