CB2: 3 Crises You Should Know About

7,000 are estimated dead so far from record temperatures in Moscow and may climb as high as 15,000 in the weeks ahead, putting it in competition for the deadliest heat wave in recorded history. This figure comes from a mortality rate that has nearly doubled from 350 to 700 deaths per day, overcrowding hospitals and morgues. This unusual heat wave has forced many to flee the city, where even operating rooms exceed 90 degrees, with vehicle temperatures exceeding a deadly 120 degrees.

To make matters worse, heavy smog has infected the city in recent weeks due to raging forest fires and burning peat bogs in Central Russia. The thick smoke has made it difficult for firefighting planes to do their work and has limited Russian’s ability to travel out of Moscow to escape the heat wave.

Pakistan is currently experiencing one of its worst floods in history with over 14 million people in need of assistance that have yet been reached by aid agencies. The worst flooding is in the industrial city of Hyderabad, but to put the scale of this crisis in perspective, over 4,000 square miles are under water – that’s 13 times larger than New York City.

1,600 people are estimated dead from the floods to date, with many more threatened should overwhelmed dams begin to fail. With the scale of this disaster, I fear we may see the numbers continue to rise in the weeks ahead.

Footnote: The compassionate Pakistani Taliban have urged the government not to accept any foreign assistance, claiming they will fund the relief themselves.

Landslides in northwestern China have killed 702 so far with 1,042 still missing. This crisis is again attributed to heavy flooding in the region. While over 1,200 people have been rescued as of today, rough terrain has made rescue efforts difficult.

The Chinese government has pledged to help resettle those who lost their homes by June of next year.

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