PAKISTAN

Flood Victims Stay Put to Guard Homes

And avoid relief camps.

The devastating floods that submerged one-fifth of Pakistan have affected 20 million of its residents. But even though many Pakistanis were forced to flee from their destroyed homes and move to relief camps, many are staying behind to protect whatever valuable goods they have left from looters, squatting in makeshift tents amidst mud and floodwaters. "Here in this area, there are about 20,000 people who chose to stay," said one Pakistani colonel, referring to an area in the northern Sindh province, "This area's famous for looters and thieves, so they thought it'd be better to stay put. Wherever there's a dry patch, they're surviving." Those who stay behind survive on dwindling food supplies, and many drink contaminated river water tainted by--among other things—dead cattle carcasses. Many Pakistanis also stay behind to avoid jamming into crowded relief camps.