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    Back to To the Point

    To the Point

    A Disaster that's 'Changing Everything…'

    The early death toll is small compared to the instant impact of earthquakes and tidal waves, but the UN calls flooding in Pakistan the worst natural disaster in modern memory. In a region the size of Italy, the basis of civilization is being washed away: homes, roads, bridges, livestock and crops. Twenty million people face absolute ruin.

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    By Warren Olney • May 12, 2014 • 1 min read

    The early death toll is small compared to the instant impact of earthquakes and tidal waves, but the UN calls flooding in Pakistan the worst natural disaster in modern memory. In a region the size of Italy, the basis of civilization is being washed away: homes, roads, bridges, livestock and crops. Twenty million people face absolute ruin. Refugees are fighting over aid that's been slow in coming, and militant groups are trying to fill gaps left by government ineffectiveness. We look at the humanitarian crisis and the response from inside and outside. Can the US leverage its aid to improve a dismal image?

    The full episode

    2 of 3
    Pakistan Floods Spread Misery, Threaten Regional Security
    1. 0:00No Sunnyside for Eggs
    2. 7:47A Disaster that's 'Changing Everything…'You’re reading this
    3. 45:56'Haitian Politics' and Rejection of Wyclef Jean's Presidential Bid
    • https://images.ctfassets.net/2658fe8gbo8o/AvYox6VuEgcxpd20Xo9d3/769bca4fbf97bf022190f4813812c1e2/new-default.jpg?h=250

      Warren Olney

      former KCRW broadcaster

    • https://images.ctfassets.net/2658fe8gbo8o/AvYox6VuEgcxpd20Xo9d3/769bca4fbf97bf022190f4813812c1e2/new-default.jpg?h=250

      Darrell Satzman

      Producer

    • KCRW placeholder

      Christian Bordal

      Managing Producer, Greater LA

    • https://images.ctfassets.net/2658fe8gbo8o/AvYox6VuEgcxpd20Xo9d3/769bca4fbf97bf022190f4813812c1e2/new-default.jpg?h=250

      Frances Anderton

      architecture critic and author

    • KCRW placeholder

      Daniyal Mueenuddin

      Mango farmer and writer, living in Pakistan

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      Issam Ahmed

      Correspondent, Christian Science Monitor

    • KCRW placeholder

      Eric Schmitt

      NY Times national security correspondent

      NewsNationalPolitics

    The full episode

    2 of 3
    Pakistan Floods Spread Misery, Threaten Regional Security
    1. 0:00No Sunnyside for Eggs
    2. 7:47A Disaster that's 'Changing Everything…'You’re reading this
    3. 45:56'Haitian Politics' and Rejection of Wyclef Jean's Presidential Bid
    Back to To the Point