NEW YORK/ISLAMABAD - Church World
Service (CWS) is increasing the capacity of its tent village in Bisyan,
Pakistan, to provide shelter and services for 2,450 of the most vulnerable
people affected by the earthquake earlier this month. The Church of Pakistan
has agreed to provide the medical services within the camp and the Pakistani
Army is providing logistical support. CWS's plan for the village includes
field training for camp security staff.
The tent village currently is providing
housing for 40 families. Four tents to house a health unit, warehouse,
community center, and administrative offices are already in place.
To date, 3,185 shelter kits to serve 22,295 individuals and 2,563 food packages to serve 17,941 individuals have been distributed in the affected areas of Shangla and Balakot. The CWS distribution is being done jointly with the agency's partners in Action by Churches Together (ACT).
Relief efforts for survivors of the 7.6 magnitude earthquake that leveled towns and villages in Pakistan on October 8, 2005, continue to rely heavily on helicopters to reach isolated communities in the region. The United Nations has warned that the international community has about three weeks to deliver enough aid to quake survivors in the mountainous areas of Azad Kashmir before the first snowfalls, even as warnings are sounded that bad weather in the next few days may hamper relief efforts.
Nearly three weeks after the disaster, people are still coming to terms with what happened, with rumors of a pending volcanic eruption only serving to frighten even more people still in shock. Church World Service continues to do what it can to support people affected by the earthquake. However, predictions of bad weather are cause for concern, as it will have a devastating impact on relief efforts, with the chances of accessing remote areas seemingly bleak. CWS continues to airdrop material aid into remote villages such as Shang, Bhutal, and Hassa.
Aftershocks and emissions of blue smoke from the mountains and constant blasts have terrorized the entire population of the remote Allai valley in Battagram district and are forcing villagers made homeless by the devastating earthquake to evacuate to safer places. Brigadier Khalid Mahmood Ahmad, head of the Pakistani Army's forward base in Battagram, confirmed that he has seen the blue smoke emitted from the mountains after flying over Ganthar and Battila villages in a helicopter. However, he was quick to refute speculations and rumors about the existence of an active volcano in the area.
A top UN official regretted that member states have not responded urgently to the UN Flash appeal for Pakistani earthquake survivors, but expressed hope that in Geneva at the October 26 UN donors' conference enough countries will commit themselves to providing support.
Reports indicate that many villages in the more remote areas affected by the earthquake may have been completely obliterated, while others may have suffered 95 percent destruction.
Hundreds of doctors from all over Pakistan and around the world are arriving in the earthquake-stricken region to support or replace medical staff overwhelmed by the disaster, which shattered the health infrastructure of Azad Kashmir and the eastern districts of the North West Frontier Province. The World Health Organization (WHO) relief coordinator says that the health infrastructure in Muzaffarabad, the area that bore the brunt of the devastation, would likely not be functional for years to come. According to army personnel, 20 to 25 major surgical operations are performed daily in Battagram. Two hundred-plus minor surgeries are also performed every day, and doctors consult more than 2,000 patients on average.
Church World Service is the humanitarian relief ministry of 36 Protestant, Orthodox, and Anglican communions in the United States.
Contributions to support CWS relief efforts in South Asia may be sent to:
Church World Service
Southern Asia Earthquake--#6979
P.O. Box 968
Elkhart, IN 46515
Contributions may also be made online, or by calling 800.297.1516, ext. 222.
Media Contacts:
Lesley Crosson, CWS/New York, 212-870-2676;
lcrosson@churchworldservice.org
Jan Dragin (24/7), 781-925-1526; jdragin@gis.net