Pakistans ambassador in Washington Thursday apprised US aid organizations and business leaders of the assistance Islamabad needs in carrying out the mammoth flood recovery effort. U.S. officials said the administration is adding $ 25 million to its initial $ 10 million commitment to help Pakistan cope with the most urgent requirements. Highlighting the enormity of the immediate relief and rescue challenge, Pakistans ambassador Husain Haqqani said the government is using all resources at its disposal to provide relief to the the suffering people. He appreciated the U.S. swift response to the tragedy. At the same time, he drew attention to the massive proportion of the natural calamity. Detailing the extent of flood disaster in a conference call with aid activists and business leaders, Ambassador Haqqani said the monsoon floods - worst to hit the country in almost a century-have claimed around 1500 lives, affected millions, uprooting families, destroying livestock and damaging infrastrucuture over huge territories in the upper parts of the country. He outlined the Pakistani governments response to the tragedy and efforts to restore communication. Pakistan, he said, is also accepting assistance in kind and said Pakistan International Airlines will facilitate free transportation of some essential commodities like medicine and energy food items. He announced that the Pakistani embassy in Washington has desginated personnel to help with streamlining the relief aid and put relevant information on its website (www.embassyofpakistanusa.org). Besides, the embassy has put on its website details how people in the United States including Americans and Pakistani-Americans can contribute to Prime Ministers Fund for Flood Relief 2010 through National Bank of Pakistan. According to Zahid Hafeez Chaudhry, Coordinator for Flood Relief Assistance at the Pakistani embassy, the PIA will facilitiate with transportation of urgendly required life-saving supplies like medicines (anti-snake venom, anti-cholera, anti-typhoid, anti-tetanus) and some energy foods while large supplies of asistance in kind would be ferried through ships. Chauhdry can be reached at zahid@embassyofpakistanusa.org.This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it Mary Beth Goodman, Senior Economic Advisor to Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan informed the participants that the US is increasing its initial commitment. The money that we are transferring to our relief agencies on the ground, our local partners on the ground, to the United Nations, local NGOs to help with immediate recovery assistance, she said The U.S. embassy in Islamabad earlier announced additional $25 million for the key South Asian country grappling with unprcedented flooding. In Washington Goodman spoke in a conference call along with representatives of American and international humanitarian organizations. Pakistans ambassador to the United States Husain Haqqani updated the participants on Islamabads ongoing response and the kind of international cooperation it needs for the massive task. State Department advisor Goodman said in addition to monetary assistance, the U.S. helicopters are engaged in lifting out thousands of people marooned in treacherous flood-swamped areas, provided halal meals and other citical supplies. In response to the natural disaster Secretary of State Hillary Clinton announced $ 10 million initial assistance and according to Mary Beth Goodman the second $ 10 million is going to the USAID for its assistance programs. As the sitaution unfolds, she said, the United States continues to get assessments for assistance. Goodman said the Obama Administration is also working with its international partners to expand support for Islamabads challenging relief and recovery task in the face of unprecedented flooding that enveloped large swathes of land in northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab provinces. The international response has been significant and we will continue to be more robust in coming days as more assessments are done, she told the conference call, hosted by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Business Civic Leadership Center and the U.S.-Pakistan Business Council. Member National Assembly Nafisa Shah, who is chairperson of the National Commission for Human Development, also took part in the conference from Pakistan and informed the participants of the work its members are doing in support of relief efforts throughout Pakistan. Jay Colin, Chairman of the US-Pakistan Business Council, Brian Kelly, Head of Emergency and Stabilization Programming, International Organization for Migration, a represntative of the International Rescue Committee Representative (TBA) and David Owens, Vice President, Corporate Development, World Vision participated in the conference call, detailing and pledging their contribution to the daunting relief effort under way in Pakistan.