So many are still wondering and asking me how big the disaster really is if I am not happy with what Media and Government has been claiming. Just to put things in perspective, here’s a short list of how big the earth quake 2005 has been:
- 3810 schools and colleges in Azad Kashmir and 3500 schools in NWFP province of Pakistan have been destroyed leaving very few survivors behind them.
People of Neelum Valley walk for more than a complete day to the areas of Kamser and Muzaffarabad to find tents and food. Many wait for hours or even days or return back with empty hands because of the shortage of AID and WORKERS.
- Regardless of what media says, I firmly believe the death toll would go beyond 3 lakh (the last figures we have is 70,000).
- Almost 50-60 thousands of Armed Forces soldiers, JCOs and Officers died because of the earth quake.
- Almost the whole cabinet of Azad Kashmir Assembly have been either destroyed or lost hope of ever governing what the alive ones call “graveyard”.
- The Tsunami affected 1 million people - Pakistan’s earthquake has made 4 million homeless.
- There are at least 60 villages still haven’t been reached and rescued this far after a month’s time has passed.
- At least 2 lakh population of Muzaffarabad is dead already including the missing. It doesn’t even include many villages which haven’t yet been reached in Azad Kashmir.
- 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. If you don’t reach those un-attended villages by heli, be prepared to walk for a whole length’s day and even more just to reach there.
- While the government and media shows you camps full of light and smiles and physically able children and women, I believe there are at least 70% of the camps still lacking basic water and sanitation problems as well as post-disaster trauma patients.
- 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- 80.
- 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.
- 80 % of “Balakot” and 85% “Bagh’s” population are dead.
- 1992 land sliding in Kashmir resulted in lost villages, the government promised 50,000 Rs. to each family and actually delivered 5,000 Rs. That’s not the first and last thing ANY government in Pakistan has done to the poor illeterate people.
Ramadhan is over but the winter is not. And these people refuse to come down. Well, at least 80% of whom we talked in 15 days. Those who have survived and made it to the cities of Rawalpindi and beyond are worse than beggars because of the indifference and lack of clear judgement by the NGOs and other people they go to. They have lost their ID cards, their neighbors or even their Nazims who could testify their shattered-lives and their connection with the earth quake. Do we have slightest of idea how big this earth quake really was?
to be contnd…
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As I said almost every one affected directly by the earth quake needs emotional and social support more than anything else. In that regard, I have earlier posted few links and posts and here’s another post for volunteers who want to work in any respect.
Psychosocial First Aid: Rozan is training volunteers for providing immediate support to children in hospitals. Trainings are conducted every Wednesday (9:00 AM - 2:00 PM) and every Friday (11:30 AM to 4:30 PM). Registration is on a first-come, first-served basis. Volunteers need to attend only one training.
Contact: Khuzama Rizwan (+92-300) 982 4565, Anoushey Nazir (+92-300) 551 7954
Note: these children are severely traumatized and must be dealt with accordingly. Do not attempt to “treat” them without advice / training from professional psychologists who specialize in trauma.
Details on other Rozan programmes.
Rozan: (+92-51) 285 1886; House 4B, Street 34, F-8/1
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Eid Mubarik to every one. Hope this Eid would bring some good change in the lives of directly and those, like us, indirectly affected people. It was a very different and positive eid day for me nevertheless.
I called in many new friends with whom I had worked recently and also those few who are still there spending their eid away from their families. It was an exhilirating experience indeed. I also came to know that a fellow worker Humera who’s been with us for about a week and left in between is now visiting various hospitals of Rawalpindi and coordinating and encouraging people to visit the hospitals and spend some time there with them. And honestly, from my own first hand experience, I can tell with utmost honesty that these people really need two words of love and humanity which you can freely donate to them out of your busy lives.
I encourage and request every one who’s especially living in Rawalpindi and Islamabad to visit these homeless, shattered and orphans and tell them God still loves them and that there are many hearts who want to share their sorrows no matter how far they are and that it’s okay if the sorrows and griefs overpower us sometimes and that losses are but the beginnings of many gains one has to reap afterwards.
Here’s the original message from these fine fellows: (Via: Earth Quake Blog)
Our main aim is to help and serve the patients who are unattended (i.e. have no relatives). There are some security problems where in some cases patients have been kidnapped and molested. So we need volunteers who can assist whenever they have time, preferably in the night.
If you are living in Rawalpindi and are willing to help the earthquake victims then please contact Shahabz at 0301-5049321 and/or Humaira at 0300-5345534.
My old no. 0300-2627033 is back and even if I may not go back to the affected areas for some time, I would be organizing, coordinating and disseminating information as much as I can so please be in touch. I would also be working with few online blogs/sites to gather stories/pictures/videos and information relevant to the relief operations.
Let’s be mindful about one thing here: whatever operation is to follow post-eid would be bigger and more difficult and daunting a task than uptill now for various reasons. It would not be wrong in the perspective of modern human history that this disaster requires bigger logistics operation than WWII’s Berlin Airlift operation thus making it the biggest logistics and relief operation in modern era. I hope whatever Government and local media has been doing would not deter the hopes and strengths of people and they would continue working in their capacity to put smiles on the faces of broken hearts. Amen.
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