What we need to know about the Pakistani flooding

The thing about these Pakistani floods right now is that it's not just a matter of an area of the country getting one big rain, like we usually do, and that being the flood and mess and it's over. No, no, the thing is, this is from their monsoon season. They've gotten a great deal of rain and more is on its way. They're expecting at least two more big assaults from the sky, as far as the meteorologists can tell at present. Other things to know about their dire situation right now: --At least one case of cholera has been reported and they're concerned, of course, that this is just the beginning of an outbreak; --One-fifth of Pakistan is still under water after three weeks of devastating flooding; --as many as 6 million affected people have not yet received any relief; --about one in 10 Pakistanis — 20 million people altogether — have been affected by the flooding; --at least 1,500 people are feared dead; --approximately 2 million are homeless; --up to 3.5 million children are at risk for dysentery and other diseases caused by drinking dirty water; --the country's most populous province, Punjab, was also one of the worst-hit areas; --relief agencies and the government are still tallying damage to millions of acres of farms; --many villages have no health care at all. They're in a world of trouble and need everyone's help. This reinforces what I wrote yesterday about humankind not being able to afford "the sick luxury that is war" any longer. Link to original post: http://news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_upshot/20100816/wl_yblog_upshot/one-fifth-of-pakistan-under-water-as-flooding-disaster-continues