LAHORE -:United States (US) Consul General in Lahore William K. Makaneole has said his country is committed to providing humanitarian assistance to the affected people and communities in the calamity-hit areas of Pakistan. In a press release issued here on Wednesday, he said the US, through the US Agency for International Development (USAID), had announced an additional $30 million in life-saving humanitarian assistance to support people and communities, affected by severe flooding in the country. He said the Pakistan government had declared floods as a national emergency, and 66 districts calamity-hit. The consul general said the US was deeply saddened by the losses of lives, livelihoods and homes throughout Pakistan and, in response to the Pak government’s request for assistance, his country would prioritise urgently needed food support, safe water, sanitation and hygiene improvements, financial help, and shelter assistance. “This support will save lives and reduce sufferings of most affected communities. The United States will continue to monitor the crisis in close coordination with local partners and Pakistani authorities,” he added. He said in addition to the $30 million in urgently needed humanitarian assistance announced on Wednesday, the US also provided over $1.1 million in grants and project support earlier this month to ensure direct assistance to those communities which gave been most impacted, to help mitigate and prevent the effects of future floods.