Pakistani floods are Biblical in scale of destruction and sheer number of people affected20 million they saywhich is greater than even the number of people affected by the 2004 Asian Tsunami, the 2005 Pakistan earthquake and the 2010 Haiti earthquake combined. That is what UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon had also pointed out on his visit here. As with other communities, the floods have affected hundreds of journalists across Pakistan with about 230 displaced because their houses have been washed away or badly damaged. Most of these journalists, particularly those in suburban districts away from major cities, have had to suspend work because of their own displacement or are so severely hampered they are unable to work until they get support for rehabilitation. At a time when the need for information is utmost particularly for the millions affected and displaced, this incapacitation of journalists has compounded problems of the affectees hailing from their areas. The dilemma is that unless these journalists are themselves rid of their encumbrances, they cannot perform their basic professional function of informing the media, public and government about the flood-affectees. In view of the above, it would do an enormous good to our common cause if some international organizations, government agencies and donors did something to specifically support vulnerable journalists of the affected areas, financially or materially. The good thing is that the apex body of Pakistani journalists, Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ), has done the necessary work of researching and compiling a list of journalists that are certifiably affected by floods and some very seriously too. Any help diverted towards these journalists would help them get back to doing what they do best: start helping those in need of help by reporting on problems and informing other citizens. -ADNAN REHMAT, Islamabad, August 26.