Public News Service-North Carolina Non-profits Brace For Intense Hurricane Season

Public News Service: "JACKSONVILLE, N.C. - North Carolina is more likely to see a severe hurricane this year, compared to years past, according to the National Weather Service. As the country remembers the fifth anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, non-profits like the Eastern Carolina Human Services Agency, Jacksonville, say they are better prepared now to handle such a disaster."

Pakistani community questions slow start to donation flow - Winnipeg Free Press

Pakistani community questions slow start to donation flow - Winnipeg Free Press: "Now — as Khan’s home country of Pakistan is in need of help as flood waters wreak havoc— the St. Vital man is left wondering why the public response to the disaster doesn’t seem to measure to the energetic effort that surrounded Haiti.

'For me, it’s really painful,' said Khan, who came to Canada in 1997 and runs Grocery Bazar on St. Mary’s Road. 'If there’s anywhere in the world that this is happening, everyone should come forward and help.'"

4 Reasons Americans Aren't Giving for Pakistan - International - The Atlantic

4 Reasons Americans Aren't Giving for Pakistan - International - The Atlantic: "The two most common answers are the poor economy and donor fatigue. While they are certainly playing a role, these two factors provide an incomplete picture. The economy was just as bad in January as it is now, with U6 joblessness unchanged and unemployment actually decreasing from 9.7 to 9.5 percent. The much-cited 'donor fatigue' claim argues that people are currently short on expendable cash or even human sympathy after the Haiti earthquake of seven months ago. However, if donor fatigue were really such a powerful force, then the world would not have responded with an overwhelmingly generous $5 billion in aid to the 2005 Kashmir earthquake, which occurred just over nine months after the 2004 tsunami. Clearly there is something more at play. Here are four factors more plausibly contributing to the low individual U.S. giving rate in response to the Pakistan floods."

TheSpec - Canada will match donations

TheSpec - Canada will match donations: "OTTAWA - The federal government moved yesterday to kick-start giving for Pakistan flood relief by offering to match private donations, dollar for dollar.
Donations for flood aid made between Aug. 2 and Sept. 12 will be matched by federal money with no upper limit, Government House leader John Baird said."

Australians have charity blind spot on Pakistan

Australians have charity blind spot on Pakistan: "AUSTRALIANS have a ''compassion blind spot'' when it comes to the Pakistan floods, says World Vision Australia chief executive Tim Costello.

World Vision has raised about $785,000 in the three weeks of the Pakistan disaster. At the same stage after the earthquake in Haiti in January, it had raised close to $10 million."

Alyssa Battistoni: Why is aid to Pakistan so slow? Because we're bad at giving.

Alyssa Battistoni: Why is aid to Pakistan so slow? Because we're bad at giving.: "We shouldn't count out these factors entirely. But the disconnect between the amount people donate to disasters and the extent of devastation is nothing new. For all their compassion and generosity, individual donors are unreliable, uninformed, often illogical, and have short attention spans to boot.

Rather than corresponding to the severity of the disaster, the amount of money donated to disaster relief tends to correspond highly to the amount of media coverage. And unfortunately, the amount of media coverage doesn't typically correspond to the severity of the disaster."

Aid only trickles to Pakistan's monsoon disaster - CNN.com

Aid only trickles to Pakistan's monsoon disaster - CNN.com: "Islamabad, Pakistan (CNN) -- Pakistan is reeling from a natural disaster affecting 20 million people but relief groups say donors have been painfully slow in helping.
When a magnitude 7.0 earthquake hit Haiti in January, donors responded with $13 billion in aid. Within 24 hours Hollywood mega-stars like George Clooney, Madonna, Tom Cruise and Beyonce had signed up for a telethon to raise money for Haiti's quake victims."

Hillary to pledge more US aid for Pakistan at UN | Pakistan | News | Newspaper | Daily | English | Online

Hillary to pledge more US aid for Pakistan at UN | Pakistan | News | Newspaper | Daily | English | Online: "WASHINGTON (AFP) - US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will announce extra aid for a flooded Pakistan Thursday (today) at a UN meeting that will mobilise international support for the country, her spokesman said."

Big Give offers to double donations to support Pakistan flood victims - Third Sector

Big Give offers to double donations to support Pakistan flood victims - Third Sector: "Big Give offers to double donations to support Pakistan flood victims

By Sophie Hudson, Third Sector Online, 13 August 2010

Organisation has more than �70,000 available to give to six appeals

The Big Give is offering to double donations made through its website to the Pakistan flood appeal."

Billions of dollars promised for Haiti fail to materialize - thestar.com

Billions of dollars promised for Haiti fail to materialize - thestar.com: "Nearly seven months after a devastating earthquake killed upwards of 250,000 people in Haiti, UN special envoy to Haiti Bill Clinton told Associated Press on Aug. 6 that international donors have yet to make good on their promises of billions of dollars to help the country rebuild."

Flood aid 'less than generous'

Flood aid 'less than generous': "ISLAMABAD - THE global aid response to the Pakistan floods has so far been much less generous than to other recent natural disasters - despite the soaring numbers of people affected and the prospect of more economic ruin in a country key to the fight against Islamist extremists."

Pakistan floods: Doing good works | Editorial | Comment is free | The Guardian

Pakistan floods: Doing good works | Editorial | Comment is free | The Guardian: "Now, the less inspiring stuff. Although the UK government has promised �31m, and allocated more than half already, the European commission has pledged only a derisory €10m. The UN Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs is calling for $460m of aid. So far barely a 10th of that total has been pledged. The shortfall is repeated in every current UN appeal. Overall, charitable giving is in decline, and the Department for International Development's tracker survey of public attitudes shows a slow erosion of concern for the world's poor and a sharply increasing concern about corruption and ineffective aid. It might just be the short-term impact of global recession. But it looks more as if it could be the herald of a much bigger shift in opinion."

U.S. builds goodwill with quick assistance in Pakistani flooding

U.S. builds goodwill with quick assistance in Pakistani flooding: "Still, the floods have presented U.S. policymakers with an unusual chance to generate goodwill while providing a much-needed humanitarian service. The floods have affected 14 million people across Pakistan, and the United Nations said Wednesday that nearly half a billion dollars is urgently needed to keep the death toll from soaring past the current 1,600. International aid has so far been inadequate, it said, at less than $100 million."

Donations in Germany frighteningly low as Pakistan relief grows critical | Germany | Deutsche Welle | 13.08.2010

Donations in Germany frighteningly low as Pakistan relief grows critical | Germany | Deutsche Welle | 13.08.2010: "German relief organizations are struggling to collect private donations amid an increasingly desperate situation in flood-stricken Pakistan. The organizations believe Germany's negative view of Pakistan - and poor timing - to be responsible for the giving shortage."

The Associated Press: Pakistan floods fail to spark strong global aid

The Associated Press: Pakistan floods fail to spark strong global aid: "Pakistan floods fail to spark strong global aid

By NAHAL TOOSI (AP) – 2 days ago

ISLAMABAD — The global aid response to the Pakistan floods has so far been much less generous than to other recent natural disasters — despite the soaring numbers of people affected and the prospect of more economic ruin in a country key to the fight against Islamist extremists."

ReliefWeb � Document � Critical lack of funding hampers emergency response in Pakistan; Donations are barely one-quarter of Haiti response

ReliefWeb � Document � Critical lack of funding hampers emergency response in Pakistan; Donations are barely one-quarter of Haiti response: "Critical lack of funding hampers emergency response in Pakistan

Donations are barely one-quarter of Haiti response

Islamabad, Pakistan (Aug. 12, 2010) – A massive shortfall in relief funds for families devastated by floods in Pakistan is hampering the response to a widening emergency that has left 14 million people in need of urgent assistance."

Pakistan flood waters recede as tent cities spring up

Pakistan flood waters recede as tent cities spring up: "Pakistan's government says 14 million people face direct or indirect harm from the floods. The United Nations believes 1,600 people have died in the floods, while Pakistan has confirmed 1,243 deaths.

The United States, which has put Pakistan on the frontline of its war on al-Qaida, announced the deployment of an amphibious assault ship, taking the number of U.S. helicopters available for the relief effort to 19"

Caritas delivers aid on foot in Pakistan flooding | Caritas Aotearoa New Zealand

Caritas delivers aid on foot in Pakistan flooding | Caritas Aotearoa New Zealand: "Caritas delivers aid on foot in Pakistan flooding

Caritas workers in Pakistan are travelling by foot to deliver aid and make assessments in some of the areas worst hit by flooding in northern Pakistan.
“The Caritas network is responding to a massive situation where Pakistan is facing its worst floods on record,” says Director of Caritas Aotearoa New Zealand Michael Smith."

Millions in local aid headed to Pakistan flood victims - thestar.com

Millions in local aid headed to Pakistan flood victims - thestar.com: "Organizers say Torontonians have come together in masses to raise money for the millions of people affected by floods in Pakistan."

Haiti Earthquake Increased Donor Demands for Communication, Involvement : Page 1 of 2 : FundRaising Success

Haiti Earthquake Increased Donor Demands for Communication, Involvement : Page 1 of 2 : FundRaising Success: "When the Haiti earthquake hit back in January, the outcry and response were swift and plentiful. In this new era of the iPhone and other mobile devices, the biggest buzz in the fundraising sector was generated from the mobile-giving explosion following the disaster. But the biggest takeaway for fundraisers — all of them, not just disaster-relief organizations — is that donors have certain, higher expectations these days, and your organization must meet them."