UN appeals for $459 mln for flooded Pakistan

The United Nations appealed on Wednesday for $459 mln in emergency aid for Pakistan after floods devastated large areas of the country.
The appeal was launched by U.N. humanitarian chief John Holmes at a meeting at U.N. headquarters and will cover a 90-day period of immediate relief.
According to U.N. figures, more than 14 mln people have been affected by the floods, more than 1,200 have died and nearly 300,000 homes have been damaged or destroyed.
Holmes told U.N. envoys the disaster was "one of the most challenging that any country has faced in recent years."
The U.N. humanitarian division OCHA said key needs that U.N. and private aid agencies had to address in Pakistan included food, clean drinking water, emergency health services, tents and shelter kits, cooking sets and mosquito nets.
Holmes said the "emergency response plan" would be revised after 30 days as more information came in.