The floods that began in June in Pakistan are still having devastating consequences for citizens there. 

The floods have been described as the worst in Pakistan’s history. According to MSN, nearly 1700 lives have been lost and an additional 12865 people have non-fatal injuries. The destruction has cost the Pakistani government nearly 40 billion dollars. 

According to UNICEF, a special program of the United Nations that responds to disasters to intervene in the safety of welfare of children, around 33 million people, including approximately 16 million children, have been affected by the rains. More than 7.9 million of those have been temporarily displaced and are in need of assistance.

The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) estimates that 13,074 km of roads and 410 bridges have been destroyed. In addition, some 1,160,078 livestock have been killed. 

All this as a lack of clean drinkable water ushers in a new wave of waterborne illness.  

According to The New York Times, farmers that previously depended on their crops are now plunging into debt with their landlords. They have no other choice but to make money by selling crops, and now those crops are submerged under more than 3 feet of water. 

“Even though we’re on the other side of the world, we should still care,” junior Kendra Russell said. “If we were in that situation we would seek help too. I think it’s important to help others in need, even if it’s a few dollars or just a few bottles of water. If you can spare anything, it would help. Countless families are in need, but if everyone could go out of their way to help at least one child, it could make a world of difference,” she said. 

“We should all try to be informed about the flooding because, with climate change, this could happen to anyone.” junior Eduardo Paez said. “We should all try to help as much as we can, it starts with trying to prevent climate change.”

Reuters reported Tuesday that Pakistan’s climate change minister said that the nation cannot afford to spend more on recovering from devastating floods as she called for faster international help at the launch of a new U.N. appeal for aid.

The United Nations has amped up its response five-fold, from 160 million to $816 million. 

Those interested in helping can donate to verified organizations, such as UNICEF. Money donated will go towards supplying victims of the flooding with clean water and hygiene kits.  UNICEF stresses that there is no minimum amount required to donate.

Another option is to visit rescue.org, where a $60 donation buys a family a rescue kit. There are also options at rescue.org to donate between $80 to $500.