Signs of recovery in Pakistan, but threat remains

Signs of recovery began to emerge in Pakistan on Monday, but aid workers cautioned that many have yet to receive help and new threats, such as disease outbreak, are beginning to appear. In Thatta, Pakistan, a historic southern city that was evacuated after floods inundated the area, destroying homes, schools and businesses, thousands of people began to return on Monday. Hastily-built levees made from clay and stone held back the floodwaters, allowing many to begin to return to their homes, and others from flooded-out nearby areas to find dry land and some measure of safety. Many of those who sought shelter in Thatta complained of a lack of assistance for thousands who had camped out in a nearby Muslim graveyard above the high-water mark. Flooding began to hit Pakistan's northwest about a month ago after heavy monsoon rains swelled the Indus River. The swelling began to move its way south, wielding destruction along the way. More than 1,600 people have been killed in the floods and another 17 million have been affected by flood conditions. The post-flood reconstruction of Pakistan is expected to take years and cost billions of dollars.