United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, humanitarian and actress, Angelina Jolie, arrived in Pakistan on Tuesday, visiting one of the worst flood-hit areas. The number of deaths has risen to over 1,600 people, including women and children.

She is seen on video television footage arriving at Karachi, in the Southern Sindh province, where the ravaging floods have killed more 962 people since mid-June, leaving about half a million people displaced and homeless. It’s estimated that on average the area has received 784% more rainfall compared to other areas. 

According to the International Rescue Committee (IRC), Angelina Jolie’s visit to Pakistan is to help support affected communities and bring awareness to the effects of the climate crisis in the country. In a tweet shared by the IRC, they shared stories of Jolie’s experience in Pakistan and some highlights of her visit. Angelina is an ardent humanitarian who also visited Pakistan after the devastating floods of 2010 and the 2005 earthquake.

There was no indication from the government whether Jolie will visit Dadu, an area which has experienced an outbreak of waterborne diseases leading to 300 fatalities since July. Doctors in the area are scrambling to contain the spread. 

The floods in Pakistan started on June 14, 2022, because the monsoon rains this year were heavier than usual. Just before the heavy rains, there was an extreme heat wave in Pakistan and India, with temperatures going as high as 121°F in some parts of Pakistan. The month of March was the hottest in India since 1901. The heat wave resulted in the death of 65 people in Pakistan and contributed to melting glaciers and flooding.

The government announced a state of emergency due to the flooding on August 25, 2022. Three days later, Pakistan’s climate change minister announced that about a third of the country was buried under water.

UNICEF gave an update about the floods on September 20, 2022. It reported that the devastating floods had destroyed hundreds of thousands of homes, and most public health facilities, schools, and water systems had not been spared. Over three million children in the country have lost their homes and are at risk of malnutrition, drowning, and waterborne diseases.

United Nations officials reported that the floods have affected close to eight million people, and that they are partnering with Pakistan authorities to bring relief items to the stranded flood victims. They reported that more than 1600 people had died, including 552 children and 318 women.

Ahsan Iqbal, Pakistan’s Planning Minister, and the head of a national flood response center in the country, said that he was afraid the disease outbreak in the country might get out of control.

Makeshift hospitals have seen an alarming number of people come in with waterborne diseases, with 72,000 people treated on Monday alone. Over 2.5 million people have been treated for waterborne diseases since July, and malaria and diarrhea cases are rising.

Speaking to Reuters, Moinuddin Siddique, director at a health sciences institute in Sehwan, said healthcare facilities are “overwhelmed.”

Shahbaz Sharif, Pakistan’s Prime Minister, is attending the annual UN General Assembly in New York City, where he is expected to address world leaders concerning the effects of climate change and flooding in his county. 

In addition to the heavy human toll, the disaster has cost the Pakistani economy an estimated $30 billion in damages.