PRAY FOR THE PEOPLE OF PAKISTAN

From the New York Times.

Floods driven by record-breaking rainfall have killed at least 800 people and destroyed thousands of homes over the past week, officials said Saturday, in the latest disaster to test Pakistan’s already strained government.

Pakistanis on Saturday crossed a main highway damaged by a flood in Charsadda, in northwestern Pakistan, near the border with Afghanistan. More Photos »

The crisis comes as the government is struggling to fight an Islamic insurgency and to cope with the aftermath of Wednesday’s plane crash in which 152 people died in the fog- and rain-shrouded Himalayan foothills just outside this capital city. It was the deadliest domestic plane crash in Pakistan’s history.

Officials said the deluge was the worst since 1929 in northwest Pakistan, where water levels in dams continued to rise. And with more rain forecast for all but that part of the country, increasing the likelihood of more flash floods and landslides, government officials issued pleas for international aid.
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On Saturday, television stations broadcast grim images of people stranded on rooftops and wading through muddy water as they waited for rescuers or tried to recover valuables from houses.

A man identified only as from Charsadda told the AAJ television network that his whole village had been forced to spend the night by the roadside. “We have lost everything,” he said. “Nothing is left.”
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Amjad Ali, a rescue worker in Nowshera, called conditions “very bad. They have no water, no food.”

Elsewhere I've seen the number 1,100 killed. The people in the area have seen enough troubles to last a lifetime. Pray that aid to those in great need will arrive quickly.

Lord God, we pray for those affected by the flooding in Pakistan. Give comfort and consolation to those who have lost loved ones. Stir up love and compassion in the hearts of those with means to provide speedy aid to relieve the suffering of all who have experienced great loss. In our common humanity, we pray to you, O God, Father of us all.