The Scale of the Disaster
Just some quick facts in comparison:
- The
- The Tsunami affected flat coastal areas that were easier to reach – Here we are dealing with rugged mountainous terrain, which is only reachable by helicopter or heavy earth clearing equipment.
- All areas affected by Tsunami had a moderate weather – Here temperatures have already dropped to freezing point and snowfall has already started; if shelter and other aid are delayed for another week or two, an estimated half of the 4 million survivors will die.
- In case of the Tsunami, 4000 helicopters were made available by foreign countries for rescue – This region has received only 70.
- In case of the Tsunami 80% of the aid pledged by the international community to the UN was realized in two
weeks – Pakistan has just received 12% of the promised aid.
The entire provincies of N.W.F.P and
The need for aid is urgent.
Tents, stoves, and shelter are required immediately. Long-term reconstruction will require foster homes for orphans and widows. Schools and reconstruction of houses is also needed on a very large scale.
It is stinking in Azad Kashmir because many dead bodies could not be removed. The smell of rotting human flesh is in the air. If you take the missing to be dead then the number of dead may actually be around 200,000.
80 % of “Balakot” and 85% “Bagh’s” population are dead.
The survivors, many of them seriously injured, are in a state of shock. They are afflicted by severe trauma and almost all have lost family members. There are several injuired children in hospitals and shelters all over the country who have not been in touch with a relative since the quake struck.
Although the Pakistani people are doing their best to help the earthquake victims, it is not nearly enough; we need foreign help. There are nearly 100,000 deaths. About four million people have gone homeless. Farmers have lost their livelihoods as land has been destroyed through landslides and the emergence of undulating earth patterns. Already about 2000-3000 people have been amputated because they could not get timely treatment to their injuries; gangrene has set in for most injured people..
The survivors are out in the cold, injured and depressed. There is no shelter. What we need are tents (water proof and insulated). Four million people would require at least 500,000 tents.We also need gas stoves and medical assistance. Please note that worn out belongings and expired food and medical supplies are NOT required; these people were not beggars before this quake and we need to imagine what we ourselves would feel like if a similar tragedy had befallen us.
The NUMBER ONE PRIORITY right now is tents (at least 6 by 6 feet or bigger), medical assistance and gas heaters/stoves.
Pakistan was the biggest manufacturers of tents in the world, and days after the quake hit the region, all available tents in the market were sent to the victims. However, this number does not come close to the actual number of tents needed here before the severe cold takes an approximated 2 million lives. WE NEED TENTS FROM OTHER COUNTRIES. You can drop off tents at any PIA (Pakistan International Airlines) office/counter at the nearest airport and they will be flown to Pakistan free of cost.
Kindly sensitize the Pakistani community abroad as well as other members of the international community about the scale of the disaster.People outside the country have failed get a real picture of its impact. You should contact university teachers, your co-workers, journalists and tell them about the scale of destruction and our needs. Only when civil society organizations pressure on their governments can we expect some help.
Please do what you can. Send some tents this way, or donate to an organization that is importing tents for Pakistan.
Source: Lahore Metblogs
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October 30th, 2005 at 10:00 pm
Pakistani’s abroad have been extremely sensitized..seriously…many Pakistanis abroad feel as much pain as the Pakistanis in Pakistan…Pakistanis around the world have united in order to aid our brothers and sisters during this painful and disturbing period…
November 2nd, 2005 at 6:28 am
can you give me some more information about the earthquake,because I’m doin a report on that.please and thankyou.
November 3rd, 2005 at 2:39 am
Your information is the best. I will do what ever I can to help the victims of the earthquake. Thank you!
November 4th, 2005 at 5:00 am
Here in the Southern US people are still struggling with the devastation of hurricanes Katrina, Rita, and Wilma. But we are deeply moved by reports from Pakistan. A small group of former Peace Corps volunteers who served in Pakistan in the 60’s and 70’s have come together to raise funds and ship tents, blankets, and other priority goods to Pakistan on PIA flights before the winter snows. May this Eid bring peace and respite to those who are suffering so terribly.
November 9th, 2005 at 6:22 am
As one person in the south I am worrying and wanting to do something for these people who will be freezing shortly in the mountains.I will get online and notify as many colleges, orgs, etc as I possibly can about your desperate plight there. Thank you, God give you strength and help there, Becky
November 28th, 2005 at 12:02 pm
The pain and suffering that we Pakistanis have felt at this troublesome time cannot be explained in words. likewise the gratitude we feel towards all the people who have helped out can also not be summed up in a few lines. all we can say , as in the words of our president, “Your help will never be forgotten!” Thankyou!
September 4th, 2006 at 4:53 pm
I wanna know about the highest scale of earthquake in the world???Thank you for your help.