The European Union and the United Nations committed $117 million this week to help fund humanitarian relief in Pakistan, where the country's worst floods in a century have affected nearly 20 million people.

Much of the money will be used for emergency food and shelter assistance for some 8 million people that are desperately in need of aid, according to the U.N.

"We are facing a humanitarian disaster in Pakistan of massive proportions," said E.U. humanitarian chief Kristalina Georgieva, who is scheduled to visit Pakistan, according to Agence France-Presse.

The E.U. announced on Wednesday that it would be doubling the amount of aid money being sent to Pakistan to 70 million euros (90.17 million dollars).

"From the very first day, we knew that is going to be a tremendous disaster, we have mobilised to the fullest to deploy and help," Georgieva added.

On Tuesday, the United Nations Central Emergency Response Fund allocated $27 million to help relief groups respond to the "most urgent, life-saving needs in Pakistan," according to John Holmes, United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator.

"The death toll has so far been relatively low compared to other major natural disasters, but the numbers affected are extraordinarily high. If we don't act fast enough, many more people could die," Holmes said.

The pledges have brought new life to a funding effort that victims and relief workers have seen as painfully anemic. They have also helped fill the U.N.'s $460 million international appeal by more than 50 percent, up 20 percent from earlier in the week.

The flooding in Pakistan, which began in late July, is shaping up to be one of the worst natural disasters in modern history, with the number of people affected already more than January's earthquake in Haiti, the 2005 earthquake in Kashmir ,and the 2004 Asian Tsunami combined.

An estimated 2,000 people have died so far, and billions of dollars in crops, livestock, and infrastructure have been destroyed. Nearly 2 million people are homeless.

A 600-mile stretch of land, about the size of Italy, has been deluged by the continuing floodwaters, which meteorologists say won't recede for another two weeks.

Pakistan's High Commissioner to Britain Wajid Shamsul Hasan told Reuters on Monday that he estimates reconstruction costs could be as high $15 billion, one billion more than what Haitian officials have requested for their country.

"[Reconstruction] will take at least five years," Hasan said. "These floods have really dislocated everything," he added.

Meanwhile, on Wednesday, Pope Benedict XVI sent his condolences to the victims of the flooding, saying that his thoughts and concerns are with them.

"As I entrust to the merciful goodness of God all those who are tragically gone, I express my spiritual closeness to their families and all who suffer because of this disaster," Benedict said.

"Our solidarity and the concrete support of the international community must not be lacking to these our sorely tried brothers and sisters!" he added.