SUKKUR, Pakistan (August 23, 2010)—Crews were strengthening embankments along the Indus River to protect yet another city from the river’s rising water.

Floodwaters are moving slowly south after leaving thousands of square miles of destruction in their wake.

The disaster has left around 6 million people homeless from the mountainous north to the plains in the south, where the floods are expected to drain into the Arabian Sea in the coming days and weeks.

The latest town under threat is Shadad Kot in southern Sindh Province.

Local charities, the Pakistani army and international agencies are providing food, water, medicine and shelter to the displaced, but millions have received little or help.

Aid officials warn that such waterborne diseases as cholera pose a real threat.

Aid flights from Australia and Germany were among the first to head to Pakistan.