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Angelina
Jolie Speaks Out on Earthquake Disaster in Pakistan
11/26/05
United Nations (UN) goodwill ambassador Angelina Jolie is urging aid
donors to act quickly in order to save millions of people freezing to
death in earthquake-ravaged Pakistan.
The Oscar-winning actress, who spoke out at a conference in the Asian
country's capital Islamabad on Friday (25NOV05), insisted Western
countries must take immediate action if they are to stop more people dying
in the aftermath of the October 8 (05) quake, which has killed 73,000
people.
She says, ""There's another disaster that could happen very
soon. There's so many wonderful pledges of money that could come in the
next few years, but this winter is in the next few weeks.
"So many people are in danger of possibly freezing to death. It's
a huge situation ... nobody sitting at home has any idea what this really
looks like.
It's unbelievable."
The UN says it has received $216 million for short-term emergency
relief - only 39 per cent of the amount it had appealed for - and
desperately needs the rest before winter kicks in.
Relief official Jan Vandemoortele added, "The race to provide
suitable shelter in time is not lost yet, but the consequences of failure,
resulting from the lack of relief funds, could result in the deaths of
vulnerable people."
Donors promised Pakistan $6 billion but most of this will go towards
helping with long-term reconstruction.
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