Affected area Pakistan | ||
On the night of Sunday, April 26, 2015, a sudden, severe storm hit areas of northwest Pakistan, causing considerable damage in the cities of Peshawar, Nowshera, and Charsadda. Informally dubbed a “mini-cyclone”, the storm featured heavy rains accompanied by hail and high-speed winds of over 120 kilometers per hour (or 75 miles per hour). As a result of the storm’s damaging effects, 45 people were killed and over 200 were wounded.
The storm occurred after parts of Pakistan were already affected by early rainfall in February 2015, contributing to already partially flooded areas by leaving flood waters approximately a meter (or three feet) deep in some places. The storm also collapsed many buildings’ walls and roofs, took down many electricity poles, and killed livestock and damaged many crops in rural Peshawar and Charsadda (including wheat crops and orchards).
After the storm, many people remained injured or without drinkable water, food, and shelter. The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government organized and sent members of the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PMDA) and the military to aid with rescue and recovery efforts in the areas affected.
Heavy weather on Monday forced the Pakistani military to cancel two flights to Nepal taking supplies to survivors of Saturday’s earthquake.