BALAKOT, Pakistan - Shaziah called for her brother as loud as she could, but there was no answer. The 7.6 magnitude earthquake that shook regions of Pakistan and India had flattened her village and already claimed 42 members of her family.
Ignoring her family's screams to retreat to a safe place, Shaziah continued to search through the rubble. She would not leave without finding her brother.
"My brother is the only hope for my family," said Shaziah. His income supports us and helps in the education of my other siblings. We all look to him when we are in need."
But hope would not be found.
"Just when I was giving up, I saw my brother's hand sticking out of the rubble," she said. "I recognized it was him because the ring I gave him was on his finger. He was gone and all hopes I had vanished in a moment."
As Shaziah and her family mourned the loss of their loved ones, they were faced with an even graver reality. They had no shelter or protection from the bitter cold.
"I was in tears watching my children suffer, said Shaziah's father. "We collected wood for fire to keep ourselves warm. Three days later we were given tents, but it was still miserable at night. We had nothing to cover ourselves with."
When a team from Operation Blessing arrived to distribute blankets to earthquake victims, Shaziah and her family had hope for the first time.
"When we lost everything, you have come to give us comfort, encouragement and most of all providing what we need," said Shaziah.
"We can't offer you anything," added her father, "but we pray for God's blessing on you and for those who have supported us during this difficult time."
In addition to providing blankets, Operation Blessing is partnering with the Indian Air Force to identify critical disaster areas and help distribute food to earthquake victims.
How You Can Help
You can take part in Operation Blessing's ongoing disaster response efforts by making an online donation to help those affected by the Pakistani earthquake.