Responding to Severe Weather in Pakistan

Mercy Corps has been helping children and families in Pakistan since the mid-1980s. Photo: Kim Johnston/Mercy Corps

Mercy Corps is distributing emergency food and supplies in Pakistan to help people in Baluchistan, Pakistan cope with high amounts of precipitation that have led to severe snowfall in the north and flooding in the south of the province.

Over 500 people have reportedly died and 2,400 homes were destroyed, with 3,700 more homes damaged. An additional 1,500 people are reported to be missing.

In the mountains near Quetta, severe snowfall has forced the closure of all roads, and homes are collapsing under the weight of snow on their roofs. In the southern area of the province, massive rainfall has breeched dams and flooded fields and villages. Relief efforts have been complicated by damage to the major highway linking coastal cities.

Within hours of the disaster, Mercy Corps’ team in Pakistan was asked by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to assist with the distribution of emergency food and supplies on both emergency fronts. USAID has fast-tracked an initial grant of $50,000 to Mercy Corps to respond to the crisis. Staff are assessing the need for reconstruction. 

Mercy Corps’ assistance to Pakistan dates back to the mid-1980s. The agency now operates programs in Baluchistan Province, reaching 320,000 people. Programs focus on improving health, water access and livelihoods for resident and Afghan refugee populations.