London's Pakistani diaspora improvises relief effort for flood victims

Londoners with ties to Pakistan are using their own homes as makeshift warehouses as part of a grass roots effort in the city to collect and send supplies to the flood-ravaged nation where at least a million people have been left homeless and more than a thousand people have died. 

The unprecedented monsoon season has caused widespread flooding across all four of the country's provinces, washing away bridges, homes and crops. The flooding has also dramatically altered landscapes, turning vast areas of urban and agricultural land into watery lagoons, according to satellite images. 

As flood levels begin to recede, the danger for those still living in the waterlogged countryside remains, according to medical officials, who say waterborne diseases such as skin ailments and diarrhea will continue to raise the number of deaths — a third of which have been children.

"It truly is heartbreaking," said Aahmed Bhatti who is using his own home as a drop off location for people to donate items.

Londoners open their homes to relief supplies

With his family's dining table covered in clothing, the London, Ont., man said his thoughts are with his extended family who live in Pakistan and have lost crops and livestock in the disaster. 

"All we can think about is trying to help out," Bhatti said. 

Bhatti and his family are just a few of the Londoners who have partnered with the Caring Canadians Society (CCS) to help collect items like light blankets, summer clothing, socks and shoes for those affected by the flooding. 

Five more family homes in London and one in St. Thomas are also being used as clearing houses for relief supplies, along with the CCS main office on Wonderland Road. 

Volunteers will be collecting supplies until Sept. 9, with all of the donations packed into cargo containers and then shipped to Pakistan. Volunteers in that country will then distribute the items to flood victims. 

The CCS has collected 50 outfits for women, around 40 shirts for men and 20 to 30 light blankets from the London region. 

Bhatti said he's grateful that people are stepping up to help out. 

"It's incredible being able to rely on our family and friends to help out the folks that need it most."

Water has created 'havoc,' says relief worker in Pakistan

Murtaza Haider Khakwani, a graduate of Western University, is among the volunteers on the ground helping the people of Pakistan. 

Khakwani is in the Rajanpur district located in Punjab and has been working to provide emergency relief to the people negatively affected by the flooding there. 

The increased flow of water has just been creating havoc all around.- Murtaza Haider Khakwani, relief worker in Pakistan

"The increased flow of water has just been creating havoc all around," he said. 

Khakwani has worked with his family to raise money and provide local people in the Rajanpur district with tents and cooked meals.

They have raised $6,002.45, the equivalent of roughly one million Pakistani rupees, for relief efforts so far. 

He said he and his family have set aside funds for medicine for waterborne diseases, female hygiene needs, and pregnancy kits for expecting mothers.

They also plan to distribute cash to people who need it. 

Khakwani said many people in Rajanpur have been displaced, with families having no other choice than to leave their homes and live in tents set up on elevated ground, such as railway tracks, to keep themselves dry. 

The disaster has happened as Pakistan faces one of its worst economic crises in recent memory. 

On Monday, the Canadian federal government has pledged $5 million in funding for agencies on the ground in Pakistan.

Part of that money will go toward providing food and cash to people living in the hardest hit areas in the country.

The United Nations has also allocated $3 million for aid agencies and their partners in Pakistan to help with relief efforts.