Five years ago the news was bombarded with devastating images of a flooded New Orleans. Today, New Orleans is beginning to bounce back. However, another region is under siege. The UN estimates that 17 million people in Pakistan have been affected by the flooding (which began roughly a month ago). Towns are submerged, livestock has been swept away and farmers can no longer work their land.

Despite the shocking images from a ravaged area, aid has been slow. There hasn’t been a telethon like we saw when an earthquake hit Haiti. Or an outpouring of aid like we saw with the 2005 tsunami. Or even like when Katrina struck New Orleans. Instead, there are a few articles here and there and silence.

The BBC has an article about why donations might be sluggish. Some of the possible reasons are donor fatigue, corruption, terrorism, timing and it being the “wrong” kind of disaster. The article raises some interesting points. We’re in a recession and a lot of people dedicated a lot of money to Haiti already. Perhaps, even if they wanted to, people can’t afford to donate.

Dr Elizabeth Ferris, senior fellow at the US-based Brookings Institution, a foreign policy think tank, says: “It should also be noted that the international humanitarian system isn’t set up to deal with more than one major crisis a year. USAID, for example, committed one-third of its annual budget to the Haitian earthquake response. And among the general public there may be a feeling of, ‘Well, I donated to the victims of the Haitian earthquake and Haiti is a far needier country than Pakistan.’”

On the corruption point, one expert says that people in Pakistan are skeptical that their government will be transparent with money it receives. On the issue of terrorism, Dr. Ferris from the Brookings Institution said, “People are less likely to donate to any country seen as a haven for terrorism.” She points out that most Western news dealing with Pakistan is negative.

One of the interesting (yet sad) points the articles raise is that people seem to donate more to “sudden” events, like earthquakes or tsunamis. Things like floods and draughts are gradual, which pushes it away from the media and out of the minds of people outside of the country. Many BBC readers who commented feel that other Islamic countries should step up and offer aid.

On the other side of the coin, there’s an article on cnn.com from UNICEF Regional Director for South Asia, Daniel Toole. He reminds people that there are many reputable organizations, like UNICEF, Save the Children, the International Red Cross/Red Crescent or the World Food Programme that have a long record of transparency and providing relief for people in need. He offers a first-hand perspective of what he has seen in Pakistan and why they need help. He points out that the negative view the West seems to have should not affect our compulsion to help. “But this enormous disaster is beyond the power of any one government and disasters know no boundaries, respect no passports. This is beyond even the people — the implications of this disaster run into the future,” Toole said.

Those implications include rebuilding towns, infrastructure, farmlands and everything else lost in the flooding. There is also concern that there will be famine because farmers will not be able to tend to their crops in time for next year. Much like New Orleans, this will not be a quick fix.

I’m going to leave off with one last link. This is an article from Nicholas Kristof’s “On the Ground” blog, which is on The New York Times’ Web site. It’s by guest columnist Sher Bano. She is a 17 year-old girl who lives in Pakistan, but spent a year in Illinois as an exchange student. I don’t agree with everything in the article, but I think  it’s a fascinating first-hand account of the wreckage.

In conclusion, please, please, please donate to Pakistani relief. Even if you gave to Haiti. Even if you disagree with their government. Do not forget the people of Pakistan.