Raging Waters in Pakistan
In already impoverished northwest Pakistan, flooding brought on by unprecedented rains has displaced hundreds of thousands, left tens of thousands homeless and killed more than 1,500.
Throughout the region, bridges have been washed out and roads destroyed or rendered impassible by landslides, making it impossible for relief and rescue efforts to reach many affected areas except by helicopter.
Destruction of farmland is widespread and entire villages have been swept away. An estimated 27,000 remain stranded, most without food or water.
Signs of water-borne disease have begun to appear, and officials fear that the lack of clean drinking water will push the number of deaths significantly higher.
The Red Cross estimates that up to 2.5 million have been affected by the flood — and more monsoon rains are anticipated in the coming weeks.
CNN’s Reza Sayah toured Pakistan’s flood-ravaged Swat Valley by helicopter on August 2.
Raging Fire in Russia
Meanwhile, in Russia, record-setting summer heat, drought and human negligence are to blame for 700 wildfires that have swept across the western region in recent days, leading authorities to declare a state of emergency in 500 towns, and causing the evacuation of thousands.
Covering an area of 450 sq.mi., the blazes are located in the regions of Nizhny Novgorod, Vladimir and Voronezh, and the Republic of Mordovia. In some villages, nearly every home has been destroyed while smoke from the fires chokes skies over Moscow.
On Thursday, Moscow recorded an all-time high of 102 degrees Fahrenheit (39 Celsius; no relief from the hot, dry conditions is expected for another two weeks.
As of Monday, the death toll from the fires stood at 40. CNN’s Matthew Chance filed this report on July 30.
