Leading on the Frontline

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How frustration and failure turned to influence after Cyclone Yemyin in Pakistan

Seven months after the October 2005 earthquake in Pakistan, many of the affected communities were beginning to get back on their feet, but others were still suffering badly. The last thing anyone needed was another disaster. Then on 23 June 2007, Cyclone Yemyin tore through Sindh and Balochistan provinces, followed by torrential rain and catastrophic flooding. Many villages were completely marooned, with roads and railway lines blocked by landslides; water systems and wells were destroyed, along with houses, crops and livestock beyond number. Nearly four hundred thousand people lost their homes, with hundreds dead or missing. And to make matters worse, the weather pattern was set to continue for another two to three months.

In Islamabad, intense storms had for weeks turned the streets into muddy rivers of swirling debris. Moving around the city was difficult, but it was nothing compared with the images we had seen of the cyclone-affected area: families perching on the roofs of mosques or in trees; people wading through waist-deep water, suitcases balanced on their heads. I knew I needed to get to the area, quickly.

The government of Pakistan had chosen not to broadcast an appeal for international assistance. Foreign journalists were told to stay away, so the news getting through was patchy. To make matters worse, international charities were also asked not to travel to the disaster areas, ...