Older people hit by the Pakistan floods

 

The current floods in Pakistan have devastated the lives of many older people, who provide for their families. Here are some of their stories:

Anwer Khan, 75, Nowshera Kalan

Anwer was a retired shop owner with a comfortable life, and was able to look after his family. When floods struck the area, he was hit with devastation - his home and shop are now in ruins, he is living in a tent with his family, and has had to take out a loan in order to restart his business to provide for them.

Anwer acknowledges, ‘I know I am old and this is going to be hard for me, but I have to earn for my family.’

‘We could not arrange anything for us as we were unaware of the flood. It was not expected in our area and now everything is destroyed.’

Shahnawaz Mehmood, 89, Abbah Khail

Shahnawaz lives in the  village of Abbah Khail with his 2 sons, 5 daughters and 15 grandchildren. The village is home to around 12,650 people, and was badly damaged by the flood.

Shahnawaz used to work on his own farm where he made a decent income, but everything he owned was washed away by the flood water. Shahnawaz and his family were stranded on a rooftop for three days without food or water, waiting to be rescued. Shanawaz lost his nephew to the flood because he couldnt reach the rescure spot on time.

Zaitoon Bibi, 85, Mohib Banda

Zaitoon Bibi lost her home and belongings in the raging flood, and is now staying at a make-shift camp in a school.

‘I was awoken by the screams of villagers. People were running around in a panicked state in an effort to save their lives as the water level in the village rose to an alarming level. I, too, along with my family hurriedly left our home and ran for safety.‘

Zaitoon Bibi has diabetes and there is no medication for this. She worries about the future of her family. Her family has no source of income as her sons lost their jobs due to the floods.

Other quotes from older people hit by the floods in Pakistan

‘All we could think of was our survival, but we were unaware of the problems we had to face afterwards. We were in such a hurry that we even forgot to take money which has now gone with the water.’ - Fazak Rehman, 60

‘We cannot now enjoy the privacy of our homes and have to ask others for our living.’ - Roshan Bibi, 90

‘We had our jobs and were able to support our families, but now everything is destroyed.’ - Qaiser Khan, 85