Evacuation is not easy for the poor. For days, Amir Mai walked miles with her seven-year-old daughter in tow, trying to find food for her family of eight after floods destroyed her family home in Pakistan's impoverished Swat Valley.

More than a month of flooding triggered by monsoon rains has killed an estimated 1,600 people. The disaster-- the worst in Pakistan's history — has affected one-fifth of the country’s landmass. Approximately 160,000 square kilometres of homes and villages have been wiped out. United Nations estimates suggest the floods have rendered six-million Pakistanis homeless, and directly affected more than 22 million of the country’s citizens.

Everyone in Amir Mai’s town had been aware of the flood risk, but they thought the canal embankment would hold.

As the waters started to rise, volunteers strengthened dykes with sand bags and stone. But additional flood waters from the Ghazi Ghat area finally breached the canal.

…there are fears Pakistan will still lack the funds necessary to recover from the worst natural disaster in the nation's history.

The town’s residents had barely 15 minutes to run for their lives.

“There was no time to think of valuables. We had livestock and a lot of household goods but no money to pay for transportation,” said Amir Mai’s husband Muneer.

“Everyone left everything behind. We just hoped that the disaster would spare us.”

For Amir Mai and Muneer, their cattle were the only possession they were able to save as they fled raging flood waters more than 14 feet high. The couple has four children and they owned two cows, six sheep and two goats. Amir Mai’s most prized possessions were her five chickens and 11 chicks.

Fortunately, Amir Mai had taken her children to stay with her cousins in Muzaffargarrh before the floods ravaged her town so Muneer was able to collect the animals and evacuate the area as fast as the livestock would move. The whole town ran in tandem with animals and children in tow and the water following on their heels. 

They headed to a building owned by one of their relatives some eight kilometers away. Amir Mai also joined her family there. The place was quickly over-crowded as more and more people came seeking refuge. 

Eventually Amir Mai and Muneer decided to move to an abandoned building situated on sand dunes, which is now “home” for her family. Amir Mai has been responsible for finding relief supplies, and her husband looks after the cattle.

Receding waters in the north have allowed other displaced families to return to their homes. However, survivors have found little left when they returned home. The waters have washed away houses, roads, bridges and crops vital to livelihoods. Pakistan's Prime Minister has warned that the economy is at risk, as the floods have destroyed millions of hectares of crops and could lead to soaring inflation and job losses.

Muslim countries, organizations and individuals have pledged nearly $1 billion US in cash and relief supplies to help Pakistan respond to the floods, Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, head of the 57-member Organization of The Islamic Conference, announced on 29 Aug.

Other countries such as the United States and Britain have also pledged millions of dollars, but there are fears Pakistan will still lack the funds necessary to recover from the worst natural disaster in the nation's history.

On 22 Aug. Ottawa said it would match Canadians' private donations to registered charities to bolster relief efforts in Pakistan. The new fund will be on top of the $33 million that Ottawa has already pledged to help with the natural disaster.

There are many ways that you can help the flood victims. In addition to several fundraisers taking place across the city, you can donate directly to the relief efforts via the Ottawa-based Muslim charity, Human Concern International

Human Concern International has been present in Pakistan since 1986. Over the last month, HCI has been working to provide food and non-food aid, as well as medical consultation and medicines to patients in Charssada and Swat. During Ramadan, HCI supplied cooked food daily to the 3000 inhabitants of Momin Ghari village in Akber Pura, Nowshehra. For more details, visit www.humanconcern.org or call (613) 742-5948).

Amir Mai and Muneer’s story and photos provided courtesy of World Vision International.