Nowshera, Pakistan (CNN) -- The start of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan coincided in Pakistan on Wednesday with the nation's worst natural disaster, the staggering scope of human suffering revealing itself in wretched ways. From the Swat Valley in the north to Sindh province in the south, as many as 15 million Pakistanis have been affected by torrential monsoon rains that have washed away villages and bloated rivers, authorities said Wednesday. Pakistan's representative to the United Nations said many people have not yet grasped the massive scale of Pakistan's suffering and warned it could still get worse because of ongoing rain.The death toll now tops 1,313, Pakistani authorities sayThe U.N. launches a flash appeal for $460 million in aidPakistanis face soaring food costs and long-term shortagesThe Taliban tell people to reject U.S. aid
The back-breaking clean-up tasks will be hard, too, because of _ fasting. The money will enable _ organizations, international partners and NGOs to partner with the Pakistani government to address emergency needs of flood-affected families, Holmes says.