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South Asia - Earthquake Fact Sheet #9, Fiscal Year (FY) 2006

Attachments

U.S. AGENCY FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT
BUREAU FOR DEMOCRACY, CONFLICT, AND HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE (DCHA)
OFFICE OF U.S. FOREIGN DISASTER ASSISTANCE (OFDA)

BACKGROUND

A magnitude 7.6 earthquake struck Pakistan, India, and Afghanistan, on October 8, 2005, at 8:50 a.m. local time, according to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). The epicenter of the earthquake was located near Muzaffarabad, the capital of Pakistani Kashmir, and approximately 60 miles north-northeast of the national capital, Islamabad.

Aftershocks continue in the affected areas. The delivery of humanitarian assistance is constricted by the mountainous area, cold weather, and damaged or collapsed infrastructure. The most affected areas are the North West Frontier Province (NWFP), Northern Punjab, and Pakistani Kashmir in Pakistan, and Indian Kashmir in India.

NUMBERS AT A GLANCE(1)
SOURCE
Pakistan 38,000 dead*
65,000 injured
2.5 million homeless
U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) - October 16
India 1,300 dead
7,000 injured
150,000 homeless
Government of India - October 13
U.N. Development Program (UNDP) - October 15
Government of India - October 14

* International media reports indicate that more than 50,000 people may be dead, according to unconfirmed reports from local officials.

U.S. Government (USG) Humanitarian Assistance Pledged:.up to $50,000,000

USAID/OFDA Humanitarian Assistance Committed to Pakistan: $14,662,927

USAID/OFDA Humanitarian Assistance Committed to India: $100,000

Total USG Humanitarian Assistance Committed to South Asia: $14,762,927

CURRENT SITUATION

Pakistan

According to OCHA, one week after the earthquake, relief operations remain in the life-saving stage in Pakistan due to the combination of logistical challenges (including airport congestion), rapidly deteriorating weather conditions, and the number of injured. Lack of access to remote areas continues to be a major constraint. Continuous rains over the weekend slowed down relief operations, temporarily grounding helicopters.

Limited distribution of relief supplies is occurring in accessible areas, but there is growing concern that current truck and air assets are insufficient to deliver the required amount of supplies. The Pakistani military has begun to use mules to access remote villages around Balakot isolated due to road damage and landslides.

Beyond a lack of access to deliver relief supplies, many of the affected areas have not been assessed, according to the U.N. As a result, exact casualty figures, as well as the condition and needs of the survivors in some areas, remain unknown.

Tents remain a critical need, and current assessments have led to a revision of shelter requirements. The U.N. now estimates that thousands additional tents are required beyond the more than 100,000 currently in the pipeline. According to the shelter coordination group in Islamabad, only 20,000 tents have been distributed to date. The need for tents is increasingly critical due to freezing temperatures and constant rainfall in the affected areas.

As of October 16, the U.N. World Food Program (WFP), NGO partners, and the Pakistani Army had delivered food to approximately 440,000 people in affected areas. Food commodities fall behind shelter materials and medical assistance as priorities for helicopter sorties, according to WFP. In addition, lack of NGO distribution capacity is further limiting the delivery of emergency food rations. On October 16, eight WFP trucks with 100 tons of mixed commodities (wheat flour, pulses, dates, and high-energy biscuits) arrived in Muzaffarabad. On October 17, WFP plans to distribute 45 metric tons of flour and pulses to approximately 66,000 people in 33 villages around Balakot.

According to the U.N. World Health Organization (WHO), over the past week, approximately 4,000 injured people have been evacuated by helicopters from the Muzaffarabad area to Islamabad and other cities. The main health risks are lack of clean drinking water, diarrhoeal illnesses, pulmonary diseases, and non-treatment of injuries.

According to the U.N. Children's Fund (UNICEF), up to 600,000 latrines may be required to meet the sanitation needs in affected areas.

According to the Government of India (GOI), 12,000 of the estimated 30,000 tents required have been sent to the affected area for delivery to various villages. The GOI anticipates that an additional 10,000 tents will be delivered by the end of the week. However, according to international media reports, many earthquake survivors are still without assistance, and 90 percent of the survivors remain homeless.

The Government of India has not appealed for international assistance.

Footnote

(1) These figures are the best available estimates.

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