UN says it will need hundreds of millions more to help Pakistan flood victims

UN needs far more money for Pakistan floods

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — The United Nations says it needs hundreds of millions of dollars in new donations to get food, water, medicine and shelter to Pakistanis hit by flooding.

The U.N. is preparing to ask member nations to give an amount that will be at least double the $460 million it requested last month at the start of the flooding, said Jean-Maurice Ripert, the U.N. secretary-general’s special envoy for assistance to Pakistan.

The U.N. has received $310 million toward the initial appeal, although private and bilateral donations bring the global total committed for Pakistan flood aid to roughly $1.1 billion.

Some 8 million to 10 million people remain in need of some sort of daily assistance, out of a total of 18.7 million affected by the flooding, Ripert said.