In the follow-up to the deadly earthquake on October 8, 2005, Pattan Development Organization rushed three teams to the affected areas in Mansehra district and Azad Jammu and Kashmir for survey and reconnaissance. The four-day survey covered the following geographical areas:
Team 1: Garhi Habibullah to Muzaffarbad (October 10 to 12, 2005)
Team 2: Garhi Habibullah to Balokot (October 8 to 10, 2005)
Team 3: Boogarhmung Valley, Buttal and Batagram (October 10 to 12, 2005)
The purpose of the survey was to study:
1. Scope and nature of damage
2. Need assessment
3. Level, extent and distribution of relief
4. Effectiveness of relief and response
5. Identification of areas out of the relief loop
The findings of the survey can be categorized as following:
1. Complete Failure of the State
a. Looting becoming commonplace in affected areas
b. Law and order is in complete tatters
c. Local administration is not visible
d. Lack of coordination among different government departments
e. No official responsible at local level
f. Unidentified roles of Local Government functionaries in disaster mitigation
2. Distribution of Relief Goods
a. Glut of goods
b. Perishable items
c. No guidance to local donors from around the country
d. Overlapping of relief distribution in few areas
e. Maximum distribution in accessible, partially damaged or least affected areas
f. Unprofessional relief distribution causing social and ethnic tensions
g. Lack of involvement of local people in distribution allowing relatively less affected people to accumulate relief goods
h. A majority of recipients of relief are male in a rather religiously conservative affected areas
i. Absence of female volunteers in distribution
j. Absence of female doctors, nursing staff and paramedics
3. Lack of Coordination Between Public and Private Effort
a. No designated official at the local level supervising relief operation
b. Private relief efforts driven by commitment not strategy
c. No information booths at local level identifying areas with most emergent needs
d. Lack of homework by all players involved
e. Rushed action leading to concentration of relief effort
4. Lack of coordination among local and international NGOs, UN and international agencies
a. People in surveyed areas questioning international promises of relief and rescue
b. NGOs and international agencies coordinating in Islamabad but not in affected areas
c. Duplication of effort and multiplication of work
d. No exchange of information on available stock of relief goods
e. No sharing of resources to reach to the most affected
f. Solo action
5. Completely neglected pockets of population
a. Completely neglected partially or completely damaged valleys
b. Completely neglected clusters of population on mountain terraces even in accessible areas
c. Severe food and water shortages
d. None or inappropriate shelters
e. Blocked physical access due to land-sliding, road cracks and shifting of rocks
f. Rescue teams are focusing on easily accessible areas or the ones highlighted by media
g. The injured, mostly with fractures and open wounds of various degrees, in inaccessible pockets are developing gangrene.
h. Inadequate facilitates in some medical camps to operate patients.
Recommendations for Future Action
1. Adapt a Village/community Campaign
Available resources could best be utilized by involving local organizations under an "Adopt a Village Campaign" that will cover rescue, relief and recovery with integrated development approach. The specialized international agencies could provide assistance to these organizations in meeting survival, medical, housing, infrastructure and eventually livelihood needs of the adopted villages. This can follow a quick need and damage assessment to identify and classify areas in partial, near-to-complete and completely damaged categories.
2. Priority Areas for Relief
2.1. Shelter
After food, shelter is the top most priority of the victims. They are desperate for temporary shelters. In view of winter approaching, provision of tents, blankets, gas heaters and plastic sheets should be given a top priority.
2.2. Medical Aid
A large number of people have suffered injuries. Medical aid is another important area to concentrate on. Provision of medical supply, generators, portable X-Rays machines, portable operation kits and 5kv generators can facilitate volunteer doctors to work.
2.3. Restoration of Roads, Water and Electric Supply and Communication Links
Road links should be restored on an urgent basis to reach out to those who are virtually tapped. The earth-moving equipment must be made available in the affected areas. Similarly, water and electric supplies should be restored to help relief operation and medical facilities.
2.4. Preventative Measures to Stop Spread of Diseases
In view of the slow work to remove debris and burial of the dead, there is strong possibility of outbreak of epidemics such as cholera, typhoid, etc. The arrangements to vaccinate all victims and thousands of volunteers against these possible diseases should be put in place with the help of international agencies and local organizations. Urgent need to provide masks for all volunteers working in affected areas and inhabitants of camps should also be one of the preventive priorities.
3. Specific Measures for Women and Children
A majority of the victims of the earthquake are women and children. They also constitute a higher number of those who suffered injuries and have been sent to hospitals and medical camps for treatment. The obvious explanation for the gendered nature of the disaster is the gender role ideology, which places women in domestic roles. Most of the women were at home at the time of earthquake and children were in schools. Due to concept of purdah and segregation, women are often reluctant to rush out of their homes. The indoctrination of gender role ideology may have caused a delayed response among women to leave their homes. The construction design with narrow streets in some areas also appears to be the cause of killing women as when they rushed out to the streets the collapse of adjacent houses blocked their escape.
Women are completely invisible in receiving direct aid, except medical aid. There needs to be a proactive strategy by all relief operators to reach women and identify their specific post-disaster needs.
4. Centralized System of Relief Delivery
Develop a centralized system of relief delivery on an urgent basis. The collection and distribution points should be established in affected areas where relief goods should be brought. A system of distribution should be developed and delivered with the help of local communities.
5. Information Dissemination
Information about affected, inaccessible areas and also the communities that have not received relief must be made available to public through the use of electronic and print media.
Emerging Issues
1. There are many children who lost their parents and families. To find families to adopt these children will be an important area to focus on.
2. There is also a danger of child kidnapping and trafficking.
3. There will be many widows and single mothers who will need special help.
4. Unless relief efforts are followed by rehabilitation, there is a danger of huge migration towards cities from the affected areas.
5. Outbreak of epidemics