Balochistan Focus, Earth quake

Bringing relief after devastation in Balochistan Province

baluchistan2In the early morning of October 29th 2008 two earthquakes struck the north-eastern part of the Balochistan Province in Pakistan. The first earthquake registered at 5.2 on the Richter scale, and drove thousands of people from their homes. Shortly after the first earthquake, another followed registering 6.4 on the Richter scale. Information was slow to filter out, but it is now clear that the earthquakes have resulted in 300 people's lives being lost and more than 500 people injured. Thousands of homes and public buildings were destroyed in two districts of the Balochistan Province.

PAI Balochistan's Project Coordinator, Noor Muhammad, began relief efforts from the Quetta Projects Office just a few hours after the earthquake struck. Having reached the earthquake affected areas he was immediately overwhelmed by the loss of life and destruction. In one village he visited there was only one survivor among numerous families. The overwhelming destruction was in stark contrast to the beautiful mountains and orchards that surround the affected villages.

After surveying the area and coordinating with both the government and other NGOs, PAI Balochistan chose a severely affected village with roughly 1,500 residents in the Ziarat District and began planning relief efforts in coordination with the local community. The village of Kang Bangla was chosen by PAI because of the relationship that was quickly established with numerous leaders in the community. Mera Jan ("My Soul") one of the leaders worked closely with PAI staff in the survey of his community to determine its needs. Though he had lost his home and the majority of his belongings, he was happy to give his time to helping PAI make contact with his neighbours and plan a disaster response that would meet immediate needs and be well received by the local community.

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In coordination with Mera Jan, and numerous other community leaders, as of the first week of December, PAI Balochistan has been able to distribute gas heaters and deliver water storage tanks to each family in the village, rehabilitate the damaged water system and coordinate the process of clearing debris.
PAI Balochistan has continually been overwhelmed by the support of the community in the relief process. Though life is extremely hard and many families have had to send their women and children away for the winter, they are actively taking steps to meet their community's needs and rebuild their lives.
Despite having disappeared from the pages of the International news, the work of rebuilding lives for the affected communities will continue for months and years to come.

Please consider how you can get involved in supporting this vital work.

Currently, PAI Balochistan is considering assisting affected locals in the rebuilding of structures using earthquake resistant technologies and contributing to the care of affected children through post-disaster counselling.


 

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