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UrduDeadly flooding in Pakistan has already claimed the lives of more than 1,000 people, caused an estimated $10 billion in damage and created a 62-mile wide inland lake.
The Univesity of Delaware boasts several experts from its Disaster Research Center who can discuss various aspects of the crisis, including:
- Jennifer Horney, professor of epidemiology, can talk about the impact the flooding will have on public health as well as ways communities and individuals can respond and recover. “The extent of this flooding – fueled by lengthening and intensifying monsoon seasons driven by climate change – is unprecedented. The number of people impacted makes this more than a disaster, it is a humanitarian emergency whose effects will be long-lasting.”
- Jennifer Trivedi, assistant professor of anthropology, explores disaster vulnerability, resilience, decision-making and the influence of inequality and power structures. “Disasters on the scale of what is happening in Pakistan not only illustrate the huge amount of need spread over a broad area, itself often tied to pre-disaster needs, but also raise questions of the complexities of distributing needed resources, particularly in the face of damaged and destroyed infrastructure and when monsoon season is yet not over.”
- Sarah DeYoung, assistant professor of sociology and criminal justice, is an expert on maternal and child health in crisis and disaster settings with a focus on infant feeding in emergencies. “One of the main concerns with a disaster of this magnitude is that malnutrition will be exacerbated for communities that were already experiencing food shortages prior to the flooding. Infants are especially vulnerable in disasters because they can become sick very quickly due to malnutrition and gastrointestinal illness. Organizations absolutely need to follow guidelines for infant feeding in emergencies and make sure to prohibit harmful mass distribution of infant formula,” she said. “There are likely to be issues related to animals, of course. Rural and agricultural regions rely on animals for livelihood and labor and the loss of livestock can be devastating for these communities.”
