Angelina Jolie Arrives In Pakistan To Meet With Victims In Flood-Ravaged Areas

Angelina Jolie is in Pakistan to see first-hand the devastation caused by recent flooding.

The actress and humanitarian arrived in the country on Tuesday after her visit was announced by the International Rescue Committee.

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Extreme flooding caused by record levels of glacier melting and monsoon rains left roughly one third of Pakistan land submerged, killing over 1,500 people and impacting approximately 33 million, according to CNN.

انجلینا جولی سیلاب متاثرہ علاقوں کے دورے کےلئے پاکستان پہنچ گئیں، انجلینا سیلاب متاثرین سے ملاقات بھی کرینگی۔ pic.twitter.com/g748L8En8W

— Khurram Iqbal (@khurram143) September 20, 2022

Jolie’s visit, intended to bring international attention to the humanitarian crisis, comes as authorities in Pakistan anticipate that flood waters may take as long as six months to fully recede.

Along with the destruction of homes, railways, roads, crops, livestock and more, fears of water-borne illnesses like cholera, dengue and malaria have come to the fore.

Sherry Rehman, Pakistan’s minister for climate change, has described the crisis as “the worst humanitarian disaster of this decade,” and is seeking urgent help from the international community to supply “food, tents, and medicines.”

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The IRC said in a statement that Jolie “is visiting to witness and gain understanding of the situation, and to hear from people affected directly about their needs, and about steps to prevent such suffering in the future.”

Along with going to affected areas and meeting with victims and displaced people, Jolie is expected to visit the IRC’s response operations centres and local organizations.

“[Jolie] will see first-hand how countries like Pakistan are paying the greatest cost for a crisis they did not cause,” the IRC said in its statement. “The IRC hopes her visit will shed light on this issue and prompt the international community — particularly states contributing the most to carbon emissions — to act and provide urgent support to countries bearing the brunt of the climate crisis.”