Aid chief praises Britons' £40m donation to f?lood appeal

THE head of an aid appeal for flood-stricken Pakistan praised the "extraordinary" generosity of the British public after donations topped £40 million today.

Brendan Gormley, chief executive of the Disasters Emergency Committee, said the response was "unprecedented" after week-on-week donations soared by more than 70 per cent.

More than 19.3m was raised over the past week, after 11.2m was raised the week before, and 9.5m after the appeal was first broadcast on 5 August.

The Disasters Emergency Committee said it had never seen such a pattern of giving in its 45-year history.

Mr Gormley said: "This response really is unprecedented. Giving to all our appeals, including Haiti and the 2004 tsunami, saw huge initial donations decline steeply after the first week. We have never seen anything like this pattern of giving before.

"This belies all talk of donor fatigue. Growing awareness of the sheer scale of the disaster has seen the public continue to respond to the needs of people who are in dire need of help. Their generosity has been astounding.

"Sadly, for many who have yet to be reached, the situation is still at crisis point. Aid agencies are on the ground doing all they can, but support is needed for that work to continue." FOREIGN, PAGE 33