[originaltext] Pakistan’s southern Baluchistan and Sindh provinces are used

Pakistan’s southern Baluchistan and Sindh provinces are used to heavy rains during the annual monsoon season. But, this year, the floods are much worse than normal. The United Nations estimates more than 2.5 million people are. affected. It says up to 400 people are dead and more are missing. It reports that nearly 400,000 people are homeless. U.N. Emergency Relief Coordinator, John Holmes, says the biggest slice of the $38 million appeal will go toward restoring peoples livelihoods as quickly as possible. That means bringing the devastated agricultural sector back to normal. The next biggest need is for shelter. He says hundreds of thousands of homeless people are living with friends or relatives. Many are living in school buildings or in makeshift roadside shelters. He says this is particularly unpleasant, as people are forced to endure scorching heat and dust storms. Holmes says health is another important consideration. "So far, we do not have any reports of outbreaks of communicable diseases, but the risk is obviously very high given the conditions of hygiene in the affected areas and the monsoon season very high heat and humidity conditions."