US Congress delegation visits flood-hit areas

A delegation of the US Congress visited the flood-affected regions of Pakistan and ‘brought hope’ that the US would be a 'consistent partner' in helping Pakistan through the crisis.  

Congresswoman Sheila stated that this was the “first US delegation to visit the most devastating and deadly flooding in Pakistani history”, deeming the inundation a “flood of historic proportion”.

“As far as the eye could see, I saw water,” she added.

The delegation - Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee and Congressman Tom - was briefed by military rescuers, and met and listened to local people who had “experienced the raging deadly waters”. 

She highlighted that with entire villages underwater, 33 million Pakistanis were impacted by the floods and almost 70,000 women were expected to give birth “potentially without medical care”.

“Our delegation brought hope that the United States will be an effective and consistent partner in helping Pakistan work through this human crises!” she stated, adding that humanity was under attack.

US ‘saddened’

Earlier, the United States said it was "saddened" by the floods in Pakistan as the country reeled from the most devastating floods in decades.

Read World shows solidarity with Pakistan

In a tweet, Deputy Spokesperson of the US Department of State Vedant Patel said the United States was “saddened” by the devastating floods in Pakistan and further offered assistance to the flood victims.

He also stated the United States stands with Pakistan at this challenging time and further stressed “building climate resilience all over the world.”

Monetary assistance

The US embassy in an earlier statement said that Washington would provide $30 million in life-saving humanitarian assistance to support people and communities affected by severe flooding in Pakistan through the US Agency for International Development (USAID).

“In response to the Pakistani government’s request for assistance, the United States will prioritise urgently needed food support, safe water, sanitation and hygiene improvements, financial help, and shelter assistance,” the statement said.