Help Pakistan Now - Earthquake of 2005

Sorry for the lapse in days...we are moving to integrate our data with www.saquake.org

2005-10-26T13:37:00.000-07:00

You can now go to www.saquake.org, with whom we are working along with a few other Pakistani-American based organiztions in order to streamline our efforts and have one central point of information on relief work, outreach action and updates on the ground.

I hope that this site has helped in some small way. Stay posted!

Directly Donate for Tents and other urgent supplies to CARE & IRC

2005-10-22T11:35:00.000-07:00

MAKE SURE YOUR DONATIONS GO DIRECTLY TO SOUTH ASIA VICTIMS and
SPECIFICALLY FOR THE RELIEF AGENCIES TO USE THE FUNDS TO PURCHASE THE MOST URGENTLY NEEDED ITEMS (Tents, Warmth, Medicines)

To ensure adequate funds, the following two organizations are donations for urgent goods needed:

CARE(http://www.care.org/cicp) and
International Rescue Committee or IRC(http://www.theirc.org/pak/)

1. Both CARE and IRC have the capacity, expertise and proficiency to buyand deliver the critical supplies in a very short time.

2 Both organizations specialize in disaster relief and have been inexistence for over 60 years.
3. Most importantly, these two organizations have a large internationalfootprint, which gives them the ability to expand their relief effort.

4. Both have set-up special URLs on our request for donating online to South Asian earthquake relief specifically to buy tents and winterizedbedding.

The window to save the effected people in the devastated region is very short - barely, three weeks or up to November 10, 2005.

Please click on their website addresses above and donate generously NOW. Your donations will be tax-deductible in the United States and may also be in other countries. ALSO please note that your donation to CARE and IRC may be eligible for matching funds by your employers so do let them know. CARE and IRC have said that they will devote their energies to providing tents, alternate forms of shelters, winterized bedding andother critical relief goods to the best of their ability.

APPEALS TO US GOVT, US PRES, NATO-HELP NOW

2005-10-22T11:28:00.000-07:00

You can go to this site and send out letters of appeal for more Helicopters and Aid to the survivors of the Pakistan Earthquake.

http://rebuildpakistan.com

It takes 2 minutes to fill out your name, email, date, and then just submit the form.

Thank you. Every letter counts.

Ground Realities from Pakistan - from AOPP site

2005-10-21T23:45:00.000-07:00

Here are some first hand stories from earthquake stricken areas....

These accounts were obtained from the AOPP (Association of Pakistani Professionals)

Click on dates for full accounts from:

October 20

Blog from Ground Zero by Mr. Abdurrahman (read at your own peril).

...We are back from Azad Kashmir. It was
a good trip -good in the sense that we came back with a feeling that a
difference is being made - no matter how small there is slight progress. I had
always wanted to see Neelam Valley and Kashmir quite appropriately dubbed a
piece of heaven on earth by the British. Unfortunately what I saw was the Death
Valley. The past one week my faith in just about everything has been tested to
its extreme..."

October 19

Letters from group working with the Omar Asghar Khan Foundation and SUNGI

"There has been a development since my last e-mail. The problems in the earthquake hit areas have exacerbated. It is raining and there are more mud slides and the after shocks are bringing more structures down. To deal with the immediate problem, and by this I mean for the winter, we (a small group of us working with the Omar Asghar Khan Foundation and SUNGI) have a plan to provide communities with shelter and food in an organized and systematic way. We are looking at setting up tent villages for those who have lost their homes. It will involve bringing people down from the mountains to
lower safer and more accessible areas and house them in one of these
units..."

October 17

Letter to AOPP member from German Social Worker who went to the earthquake site with Germen Red cross

"Dear Asif,

Let me begin by apologizing for this delayed reply as I was busy and have just returned
here back in Germany from Pakistan.

My experience of working with the people and Government of Pakistan is so far good. I am particularly impressed with the individuals and organizations in Pakistan. They have
demonstrated a great sense of maturity, unification and solidarity.

Just to give you one example, the Vice Chancellor, Faculty and
Students of Hamdard University in Karachi travelled immediately to Islamabad,
purchased food and other essential items and travelled up north to deliver. They
were also accompanied by the medical team from Hamdard Hospital and they
immediately established free medical camps and treated over 900 injured people
within the first week.

Similarly, the Government Doctors at PIMS Hospital Islamabad and many other doctors in the region worked round the clock to save lives.

As far as Germany is concerned, the initial response was good in terms of cash, goods, helicopters, expertise and so on. The German Foreign Minister has already written a letter to FM Kasuri and has requested to inform Germany ASAP as to what more could be done. Furthermore, Germany has setup Relief Fund for Pakistan and now there are adds in the local media requesting people to donate so that more money could be send to Pakistan to help the victims...."

Letter from Ayesha Hasan who is working tirelessly in Pakistan for the Earthquake victims

"The quake situation is really escalating out of control. Rape of unprotected women- men folk either dead or helping with the recovery/relief efforts. Kidnappings of orphans-Thousands of children have been orphaned and are easy prey.Relief goods are disappearing only to re-appear in the open market for sale.

A man was arrested unloading a relief truck in his house. Political parties have started killing each other over relief supplies Over $500 million has poured in - where is it?

Children- largest number of dead-Thousands of bodies still lie under rubble
Rain and hail is hampering the relief efforts - relief arrives and then has to pull out
Its has started snowing in certain areas Winterized Tents are desperately
needed

Phase 2 has started but:
4 million ppl need shelter in the next 20 days
In another 20 days or so it will start to snow and all the
quake ravaged areas will become completely inaccessible. Desperate race against
time to provide temporary shelter - tented communities for the next 4 mths till
winter passes ... only then can re-construction begin

There are regions that have not even been accessed yet i.e. relief no aid
Only a few organizations are working in Azad Kashmir - Edhi, RSPN- but only
certain areas WHO says that quake worse than tsunami Winterized are Tents
desperately needed or Cash to buy tents..."

From Shandana Khan- CEO of RSPN

"Mountainous region -balakot, battagram, mansehra and parts of AJK are VERY narrow valleys. Allai, in upper Battagram has received NOTHING. We are going there with a CARE team to take tents and other supplies. Clearly there is not enough heavy equipment with the army to clear these roads - they are trying very hard through air drops i.e. C130s and helis, but the scale of the devastation is tremendous.

Regions will start getting blocked, it has already started snowing in upper Bagh, and we
don't have enough time. If we get tents in, we can airlift with the army and
airforce - no problem. But people need to send double-ply, winterized tents.
Apart from this, see if you can get in touch with FONGAS or someone who can give
us small stoves cum heaters. There is no way that canvas single ply tents will
be good enough.

Some remote areas are not known to anyone except those present on the ground. we have spent two days trying to do a heli drop through the air force because they wanted coordinates for villages which we did not have. They don't know villages, valleys, nothing. We are all trying, what can i say."

Alarm rings across world for the over 2 million survivors-Int'l Response is 'Woefully Inadequate'

2005-10-21T00:25:00.000-07:00

Alarm bells ring for Pakistan quake survivors
21 Oct 2005 03:53:46 GMTSource: Reuters

For full article: http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L20213526.htm

Other related articles:

Britain Sounds Alarm on Relief Response
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/SP107107.htm

UN CHEIF WANTS NATO TO AIRLIFT QUAKE VICTIMS: http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L20723986.htm

By David Brunnstrom
MUZAFFARABAD, Pakistan, Oct 21 (Reuters) - Alarm mounted across the world on Friday for an estimated 2 million survivors of the Pakistan earthquake still awaiting help two weeks after their world collapsed, with a freezing winter looming.

The top United Nations aid official was so incensed by what he saw as a woefully inadequate international response to the most difficult relief operation the world has ever seen he called on NATO to stage a massive airlift to get survivors to safety.

That would mean helicopters, the only means of getting quickly deep into the rugged Himalayan foothills of Pakistani Kashmir and North West Frontier Province where 50,000 people are known to have died, a number expected to rise substantially.

"You must rest assured that NATO fully realises the gravity of the situation," NATO Secretary-General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer said. "NATO will act accordingly."

But NATO, which was to consider U.N. emergency relief coordination Jan Egeland's airlift demand in Brussels on Friday, doesn't have many of the kind of helicopters such an operation would require....

WORSE THAN TSUNAMI

Egeland and other aid officials with experience of both said the earthquake relief operation was more difficult than that in the wake of last year's Indian Ocean tsunami, which killed more people but hit coastlines ships could reach easily.

"We have never had this kind of logistical nightmare ever," said Egeland. "We thought the tsunami was bad, this is worse."

"The world is not responding as we should be," Egeland told a news conference in Geneva.
Pakistan said the number of injured, now 74,000, could also rise substantially with large areas still not reached. How many bodies are still buried in the rubble, nobody knows.

Donor countries have pledged only $86 million so far to a U.N. appeal for $312 million.
Aid workers say the most urgent need is tents or people will soon start dying of exposure, a message reinforced by Britain's International Development Secretary Hilary Benn.

"Now we cannot buy time, because time is running out," he said in Islamabad. "We need more capacity on the ground to deliver support and the urgent need is for shelter if we are going to stop more people from dying."

"We need a second Berlin airbridge," Egeland said of the U.S.-led airlift in 1948-49 to keep Soviet-blockaded West Berlin supplied.

"We are humanitarians, we don't know how to evacuate hundreds of thousands of people in the Himalayas. But the most efficient military alliance in the world should be able to."

Help UNHCR GET URGENT SUPPLIES TO VICTIMS

2005-10-20T00:23:00.000-07:00

A quick and easy way to donate to a UN organization which deals with refugees and their immediate needs. You can donate directly to this UN organization.

http://www.unhcr.ch/donate/redirect.html

Earthquake in Pakistan: Help us get urgent supplies to victims

The UN Refugee Agency is already trucking tents, blankets, stoves, kitchen sets and basic supplies to the tens of thousands of Afghan refugees and Pakistanis made homeless by the earthquake.

We will distribute our emergency supplies from existing warehouses in Pakistan as fast as we can, but much more will be needed. That is why we need your help. Please give generously today so that we can provide more than 100,000 people with the basic supplies that they need. They have lost everything.

UNHCR Provides Large Relief to Northern Areas via Turkey/NATO

2005-10-19T17:23:00.000-07:00

UN Agency for Refugees (UNHCR) site complete article:

http://www.unhcr.ch/cgi-bin/texis/vtx/news/opendoc.htm?tbl=NEWS&id=43566ab44

Story date: 19 October 2005
UNHCR Press Releases

".....In all, the NATO/UNHCR airlift out of Turkey will deliver nearly 10,000 family tents, around 104,000 blankets and 2,000 stoves stockpiled in the UNHCR warehouses in Turkey.The exact number of flights that will be necessary will depend on the type of planes made available by individual NATO countries. So far, a total of 11 C-130 planes have been offered by the UK, Italy, France, Turkey and Greece, and other NATO countries may join the operation in the coming days.

Hundreds of tonnes of UNHCR relief supplies, including thousands of urgently needed tents, are also being rushed from other stockpiles around the world to help Pakistan's earthquake victims. The provision of tents has become one of the most urgent priorities, as hundreds of thousands of earthquake survivors from an estimated 15,000 affected Himalayan towns and villages struggle to find any kind of shelter amid a deadly mix of continuing aftershocks, broken supply routes and cold, wet weather, which may soon turn to snow.

In addition to the joint NATO/UNHCR airlift from Turkey, another eight UNHCR flights have arrived or are currently in the air from Dubai, Jordan and Denmark.Supplies have also been arriving by land, with a giant UNHCR-WFP convoy of 47 trucks, carrying 1,500 ten-person tents, 50,000 plastic sheets, 20,000 blankets and 10,000 jerry cans from UNHCR warehouses in Afghanistan, reaching the Pakistani city of Peshawar late on Monday. In all, the UN refugee agency is currently planning to ship a total of more than 15,000 tents, 220,000 blankets, 69,000 plastic sheets, 500 plastic rolls, 32,000 kitchen sets, 2,000 stoves and 5,000 lanterns from its stockpiles around the world.

UNHCR has appealed for $22 million to fund its activities in the earthquake affected areas. So far, Sweden has pledged US$ 2.57 million, Japan has announced a US$1 million contribution, and Italy has said it will give €250,000."

Excellent New Site-Resource for all Relief Workers

2005-10-19T16:51:00.000-07:00

The most comprehensive, live, up to date assessment from up to 4,000 affected villages devastated by the Earthquake. A Resource for all aid agencies to cull up to date information.

http://www.risepak.com/

The website aims to give the latest up to date information on some 4,000villages affected by the earthquake - providing their pre-earthquakedemographics and infrastructure such as roads and schools. And in an innovative move, it's designed to allow the government, army,
also to supply information on relief efforts on the ground at thevillage level.

It will allow relief workers on the job in villages to text message thestatus of damage in the village, as well as the needs of the affectedpeople, and supplies given by any organization with the information toappear within hours on the website."This has been an amazing spontaneous effort that's taken on a life ofits own," says Tara Vishwanath, a lead economist in the South-AsiaRegion.

Vishwanath was one of the four people initially behind the idea of thenew website. The others were her Bank colleague, Jishnu Das, aneconomist with the Development Research Group, and two experts,Professor Asim Ijaz Khwaja of the Kennedy School of Government atHarvard University in Boston and Economics Professor Tahir Andrabi ofPomona College in California.However the collaborative effort has stretched far beyond the UnitedStates.The website was designed by Pakistan's largest internet provider, WorldOnline, which operates under the brand-name WOL. www.risepak.com . In many disasters coordination is the biggest obstacle. We have thetechnology that can change that. We can get this right." says AamerManzoor, co-founder and Vice-President of World Online."An information chain that starts on foot might connect to a reliefworker with a cell phone and then appear on the RISE portal. Information from a remote village can now reach the internet in less than eighthours."Pakistan's National Database and Registration Authority has also supported the website by supplying geographical data.

That is then donors and non-government organizations not only to access the data butalso to supply information on relief efforts on the ground at thevillage level. It will allow relief workers on the job in villages to text message thes tatus of damage in the village, as well as the needs of the affected people, and supplies given by any organization with the information to appear within hours on the website.

There is no system which allows people to figure out which specificvillages have been reached or how they're affected," Das says. "Most ofthese affected villages are in rural areas - this help ensure that allvillages are on everyone's radar screens."This new website is like a command center information tool for donors."Donors, non government organizations as well as the government and armyrelief workers are being urged to supply information to ensure the newwebsite is up to date.Professor Tahir Andrabi of Pomona College says there are various means

"People can provide information by directly uploading the data on www.risepak.com, sending us text messages, faxes,emails, or even by phone," he says.Vishwanath says the website has support from the Government of Pakistan,as well as from the Bank's Country Director for Pakistan, John Wall."This spontaneous collaboration has become much bigger than just a few people," she says. "People came together and everyone quickly realizedthe promise of such a website."

Highlights of the fading newsmaker headlines....

2005-10-19T16:05:00.000-07:00

A few headlines...

New figures put quake toll at more than 79,000
Difficulty reaching injured survivors likely to result in even more deaths
AP Source: Updated: 5:36 p.m. ET Oct. 19, 2005

"Pakistan says it urgently needs 150,000-200,000 tents. It now has about 30,000"

"...Despite the growing influx of aid, the U.N. World Food Program has estimated a half-million survivors have yet to receive any. Pakistan’s military, however, says all but about 5 percent of communities have been reached — although it does appear that many villages have received little aid.
In Beijing, top U.N. relief coordinator Jan Egeland urged China, which borders Pakistan, to contribute winterized tents. Pakistan says it urgently needs 150,000-200,000 tents. It now has about 30,000."

UN urges greater quake response
BBC Source: Last Updated: Thursday, 20 October 2005, 00:35 GMT 01:35 UK

UN Secretary General Kofi Annan has warned of a second wave of deaths from the Pakistan earthquake unless much more aid is immediately provided. UN Secretary General Kofi Annan has warned of a second wave of deaths from the Pakistan earthquake unless much more aid is immediately provided.

Mr Annan called for the global relief effort to be stepped up to help three million people made homeless.

He said donors had so far pledged only a fraction of the $312m (£177m) aid requested by the UN.
UN urges greater quake response.

....The secretary general complained that the international community had only given firm commitments to fund 12% - or $37m - of the UN's appeal.

Agencies stretched

The UN children's agency, Unicef, has warned that a further 10,000 children could die if relief efforts are not boosted.

Jan Egeland, the UN's emergency relief coordinator, also criticised the world for not doing enough to help Pakistan.

While 92 countries had helped nations hit by last year's Indian Ocean tsunami, only some 15 to 20 countries had responded to the latest disaster, the Reuters news agency quoted Mr Egeland as saying.

Speaking in Beijing, Mr Egeland called upon China, which neighbours Pakistan, to send hundreds of thousands of much-needed tents across the border.

NPR & BBC Reports on Relief Updates from the Ground-Oct 17

2005-10-18T01:20:00.000-07:00

1. NPR's "The Worlds" New Radio Report from Andrea Crossan
(very good update)

Go to this link and find the Radio Listening button for :
Pakistan/India Earthquake Aid Report (3:35 mins)

http://www.theworld.org/latesteditions/10/20051017.shtml

The death toll for the Pakistan/India Earthquake is at 40,000, and is estimated to rise. Aid agencies are warning that survivors of the earthquake are dying from exposure as temperatures continue to drop and there aren't enough tents available. The World's Andrea Crossan reports.

2. BBC New Article. - A good one to circulate to get news media to really re-ignite this story and put it back on the front pages.

Tents crisis hits quake victims (article link below)

"Only the heaviest tents will protect against the brutal Kashmiri winterThere are not enough warm tents in the world to protect refugees from the South Asia earthquake from the coming winter, a top UN official has warned.

Andrew Macleod told the BBC that the emergency was so vast it was an even bigger challenge than the 2004 tsunami.

He said the problem was growing every day, and was "outside the scope of any government to handle"....

...He said the relief operation was "mobilising every possible resource" to reach such people, "from massive helicopters to feet", and including mules.

But he said the challenge was bigger than after the 2003 earthquake in Bam, Iran, or even the 2004 tsunami.

"Here we've got over 15,000 villages spread out through the affected region," he told the BBC's Newshour radio programme.

"The affected areas are much larger in geographical size than the tsunami, and rather than being in flat coastal areas, we are operating in some of the highest mountains and deepest valleys in the world."

GO TO the link for the full article.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/4350194.stm

Earthquake: Eye-Witness Account by Ayesha H.

2005-10-17T22:15:00.000-07:00

Member of a NY based Pakistani e-Forum, Ayesha H.'s accounts follow. Again the need for TENTS is #1 on the list.

I was on my way to Hunza with a German friend who is visiting Pakistan and were stopped by the quake.

I have spent the past few days working with the relief effort and went up to the Manshera area with money, supplies and a camera crew.

There are two things that stand out.

1. The incredible and immediate response of the people of Pakistan.

2. The complete lack of leadership. There is absolutely no coordination.

There is little damage in Abbottabad, but the hospitals are overflowing and filled with little children. The roads have been opened and there is little damage until you get to Ghari Habibullah, a girls school collapsed there and there were 250 kids inside. Many are still buried under the rubble. Until the 12th there were no army or government relief teams there to remove and bury the dead. I went further inland to some of the smaller villages here the story is worse. No houses left. Bodies still trapped in the rubble and the smell of death everywhere. There are hundreds of small hamlets, 20-40 houses each, in the mountains that have been destroyed. These are off the beaten track and no signs of all the relief that we see being trucked up. The only people I saw working in the area were the Omar Asghar Khan Development Foundation. Ali Asghar Khan is very organized but severely hampered by lack of resources. He is going in to each area and doing a needs assessment of each village and then trying to meet those needs. The biggest shortage is TENTS. It is cold and millions have no shelter. It hailed and rained on the 11th which just compounded the misery.

I went to Balakot which as everyone knows is flattened. The roads are open but in some places only for single lane traffic and a 20 minute journey can take over 4 hours.

Balakot is a small town that is essentially a bazaar most people live up in the mountains. There are hundreds of trucks and tons relief goods there. However, they are not getting to the people in the mountains who are totally cut off. So stuff is strewn all over the place and in parts it looks like a second hand clothes market. This gives people the wrong perception that nothing is needed. Lots is needed and it is not going to those who need it. I am sure that all this stuff will find its way to the second hand clothing markets soon.

Batal, Battagram and places further afar are untouched by relief efforts and there is a serious anger mounting. Sungi has been doing the needs assessments and Ali Asghar Khans teams have gone to these areas today. They have taken food etc but do not have any more tents and blankets. I am trying to get them 1000 tents and need all the help I can get.

It is essential that the relief efforts be coordinated. I have seen looting of trucks by armed gangs, these are not victims but thugs. I have also seen trucks coming up with goods and then just throwing the stuff out to anyone standing on the side of the main highway. This is a terrible waste.

To give you a small example of the complete lack of coordination, there was a team of 15 doctors from Medicines du Monde (formally Medicines sans Frontiers) on the flight with a friend who had volunteered to work with me. My friend insisted they take his number in case there was a problem. They had a huge consignment of surgical equipment and medicines. No one was there to receive them and send them on their way. They called. We got them trucks and sent them to the Red Crescent who didn't know what to do with them. So we took them under our wing and they are in the Mansehra area working in the most remote villages. A happy ending.

I also saw something which really bothered me which was a minister out on tour, his outrider was not a motorcycle policeman or a jeep, it was an ambulance. He had commandeered it for the day. It was empty and there are people who need to get to hospital.

The aftershocks continue so people are really panicked. There are on average 5-6 serious tremors (between 5 and 6 on the Richter scale) a day. No one is willing to go indoors and are sleeping in the open. Water sources are being contaminated. Disease is a real threat.

I will go back up early next week. Have come down to get supplies, money and some surgical equipment.

PIA is flying stuff in free, so rather perhaps someone in the US can organize a consignment of tents. I undertake to make sure they get to the right people.

Ayesha T H.

Accounts from Mansehra, Balakot...Needs Expressed:

2005-10-17T21:49:00.000-07:00

On a phone conversation with Omar S. today, he gave his assesment of the situation and needs from there. Omar is an executive at Services Corporation in Pakistan who had led initial relief efforts by sending teams from his company to Mansehra and Muzaffarabad and set up relief camps to provide food, shelter and medical attention

He reported that the situation is grim and the highest priority was the need for Tents and warm clothing. The clothing needed specifically, are sweaters in all sizes, scarves, warm hats, gloves/mittens, jackets, etc. Tents are of DIRE need.

He said the most effective of the local NGOs operatig there are ones who have been conducting development operations on an ongoing basis. They have the infrastructure, human resources and knowledge of each of the communities they are working with. The ones which do not have much relief experience are not really able to work to their fullest.

Again, he emphasized that the army is being the most effective as far getting the relief items to the most affected and road accessible areas. It is working because there is some centralized method, to some extent. A lot of the private individual efforts are unfortunately being subject to violence, raiding and looting of their relief goods, so it has also become a security issue for these relief workers.

The Red Cross is providing a significant amout of relief, especially in the medical area. The call is out for racing against time and getting the needed shelter from the harsh elements.

Pleas from Organizations on the Ground: TENTS & Warm Clothing a Priority

2005-10-17T21:40:00.000-07:00

A coordinated effort is needed to figure out how to get the high priority materials which are in scarce and literally nil availability in Pakistan.

Funds are being sent to the Pakistan President's Fund and numerous local and international NGOs. Many are now saying that funds, while they are still needed for long term rehabilitation and reconstruction, the urgent and critical immediate need is for shelter and protection from the harsh weather. TENTS AND WARM CLOTHING is the call. We are working with a number of companies and individuals to obtain, purchase and send via PIA to Pakistan as much as we can collect. While funds are being sent to the agencies, we are looking to find a way to fund raise here in the US to be able to apply the funds towards bulk purchases of these critical items.

Please continue to keep updated on where and how we plan to conduct this drive. Pls go to www.saquake.org for continued updates and coordination efforts.

If you know of any current efforts ongoing in collection, purchase and shipment of these items (Bay Area, Chicago, Houston, Toronto, etc.), pls contact blogger.aisha@gmail.com or suggest@saquake.org.

Pakistan Toll Rises; Thousands Need Shelter

2005-10-17T16:59:00.000-07:00

From NPR (National Public Radio - KQED Radio Report)

World

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4961072&ampsourceCode=RSS

Pakistan Toll Rises; Thousands Need Shelter
by Philip Reeves
All Things Considered, October 16, 2005 · This weekend, Pakistan raised its estimated death toll from last week's earthquake to nearly 40,000, with more than 60,000 injured. A severe shortage of tents is hampering rescue and relief operations in the mountains there, where's it's been raining. There is a serious risk more people will now die for lack of shelter.

Click the link above for the audio radio report.

Marshalling effort to create a unified central web portal of relief work update/needs

2005-10-17T16:41:00.000-07:00

I am in the process of trying to create/join with another US based site (www.saquake.org)
which is trying to harness all the great efforts being made by so many of us all over.

The goal is to have a central portal of information about the scene on the ground, efforts updates and needs assesments which can help us all here better channel our efforts to the disaster areas in Northern Pakistan.

The other objective is to partner with our other formidable organizations from NY to the Bay Area (CA), Chicago, Houston and Toronto to collaborate on where to make effective donations (monetary) and in kind, ie: tents, blankets, etc. It has been reported by some agencies on the ground that a number of tent shipments which have been sent, have not been appropriate. Many local NGO's are now just preferring monetary donations. These are just a few concerns.

Update on this will be forthcoming.

Dawn (Pk grp of newspapers)-Adopting Villages and Call for Volunteers, Doctors.

2005-10-15T22:54:00.000-07:00

Dawn Group of Newspapers is Adopting a group of villages in Northern Pakistan and Azad Kashmir. They are also calling for volunteers. The link below is to the page where the flyer is attached at the bottom of the link...however the copy is not very clear. I will retype their flyer's salient points below.

http://www.dawn.com/2005/10/15/earthquake.htm

Call for Volunteers (Urgently require) I assume they will welcome people from abroad as well:
1. Doctors, psychologists, medical technicians
2. Engineers, architects, town planners, techs w/bkgrnd in generators, filter plants, automotives
3. Graduates/techinicians in this field possessing knowledge in these areas are also encouraged to apply.

Teams will be rotated on a 15 to 30 day basis.

Adopting Villages:
1. First Stage to provide immediate relief/rehabiliation to the affected people. (tents, food, medicine).
2. Project will extend scope to rebuilding villages, housing, civic amenities and utilities.
3. Subsquent steps will involve providing assistance to a larger network of villiages in the areas.

Individuals to help "Adopt a Village/Child/Family"

2005-10-15T22:50:00.000-07:00

This is a post from Tahira who will be going to Pakistan next week. They are in the process of networking and working with established local NGOs on rehabilitating the survivors on a one to one basis. It will include communities/villages which NGOs are already working with and also help people with whom they have personal ties. (ie: the families of local shopkeepers they know who were affected, domestic help and their families living in the Norther areas, etc. There are hundreds of these situations). Further details will be posted as to where funds can be donated and how you can connect with a village or child.

"adopt a village" and "adopt a child" are two ideas we are working on, and trying to organise it to get a system in place. this is for the long term and will continue for years to come. any suggestions on this will be greatly welcomed and appreciated. thanks.
---Tahira.

Rural Support Programmes Network (RSPN) Efforts Update

2005-10-15T10:13:00.000-07:00

Updates from each major stricken area and surrounding villages as of October 12.
This link has good stats on number of estimated households in these areas, and number of households affected. What each areas specific needs are based on RSPN's people on the ground, by identifiying the large numbers of households and families requiring assistance.

http://www.rspn.org/earth_quake_update.pdf

Again, donations are what they are looking for to continue their results oriented efforts. My cousin Shandana Khan is the CEO of RSPN.

RSPN Accounts Details
(The Company is regularly audited by KPMG. If you wish to see a summary of our previous audit. click here.

For US $, UK ₤ and €
Bank: Union Bank, F 7 Markaz Islamabad , Pakistan
Account Number: 5801-501437-054
Account Name: Rural Support Programme Network
Swift code: UNBLPKKAXXX
Reference: Earthquake Relief Fund

Or

Bank: ABN Amro Bank, F 7 Markaz Islamabad , Pakistan
Account Number: 75127407
Account Name: Rural Support Programme Network
Swift code: ABNAPKKAISB
Reference: Earthquake Relief Fund

For Pak Rupees
Bank: Union Bank, F 7 Markaz Islamabad , Pakistan
Account Number: 5801-501436-090
Account Name: Rural Support Programme Network

For further information on the RSPN, please visit our website at www.rspn.org . An update of the ground situation is on our website, click here. Details of donations will be posted on the site regularly.. Click here

For any additional queries please feel free to contact us.

We look forward to your responses in these difficult times.

Sincerely
Shandana Khan
Chief Executive Officer Rural Support Programmes Network
No 7, Street 49, Sector F 6/4,
Islamabad, Pakistan
Tel: 00-92-51-2821736/2822476
Fax: 00-92-51-2829115
Email: shandana@rspn.org.pk
Web: www.rspn.org

The Chairman: Mr.Shoaib Sultan Khan
The Board of the RSP Network is chaired by Mr.Shoaib Sultan Khan who is the founding father of the Rural Support Programmes in Pakistan and enjoys international reputation in the field of rural development.

Tax Deductible Organizations (many are online)

2005-10-15T01:50:00.000-07:00

The following is a list (some new w/links) of Relief Organizations which are set up for receiving donations which are tax deductible.

Association for the Development of Pakistan
http://www.developpakistan.org/
Contributions can be made to the President's Earthquake Relief Fund, the Edhi Foundation and/or ADP's Long-Term Relief Fund. Donations can be made online by credit card and are tax deductible. ADP is a registered non-profit 501(c)3.
Zia Chishti, CEO of TRG and Orthoclear, has agreed to match the next $25,000 raised by ADP so let's make the most of it!

Eqbal Ahmad Foundation Earthquake Relief Fund
Make CHECKS payable to " EAF - EARTHQUAKE RELIEF FUND ". PRINT OUT, SIGN and MAIL the following form, along with your check:
Enclosed is a donation of ________ to the EAF - Earthquake Relief Fund. I understand that this money will be used solely for the purpose of purchasing and distributing earthquake relief and rehabilitation supplies in Pakistan.
Name (please print):
_________________________________________
Signature:
_________________________________________
Address :
_______________________________________
Please mail your check and this form to: Eqbal Ahmad Foundation P.O. Box 222 Princeton, NJ 08542

The Eqbal Ahmad Foundation is a tax-exempt organization under section 501(c)(3). For tax purposes, all donation over $250 must include your name and mailing address. Should you have any questions about how to make or send a donation, please contact Zia Mian, at zia@princeton.edu. Pervez Hoodbhoy is coordinating this effort.

Save the Children
Many children are facing a life-or-death situation following the earthquake in South Asia. Save the Children is responding to urgent needs for shelter, blankets for protection from the weather, food, warm clothing for children, and first aid kits.
Please donate here: http://www.savethechildren.org

Americares
http://www.americaresfoundation.org
AmeriCares, a registered 501(c)3, is partnering with the humanitarian agency Islamic Relief, which has mobilized relief teams throughout the region to assess the needs of survivors. Teams are now working to distribute disaster relief supplies including antibiotics, analgesics, and basic first aid supplies valued at $1.5 million. According to Charity Navigator, 98% of every dollar to Americares goes directly to the program for which it is donated.

CARE
https://donate.care.org/05/170620170000/
CARE, a registered 501(c)3, has begun working with partner, Action Aid, to send a generator, tents, blankets and plastic sheets to 500 families in the hardest-hit cities of Mansera and Muzzafarabad, and then expand operations to other regions. A field assessment conducted by CARE and other international humanitarian agencies has identified the need for medicine, hygiene kits for women and trauma counseling for women and children. Greatly needed as well are shoes, socks and winter clothing, especially for children.

Human Development Foundation
http://www.yespakistan.org

The Citizens Foundation
http://www.thecitizensfoundation.org/relief_fund/index.htm
http://www.tcfusa.org/donateonline.html
The Citizen's Foundation is mobilizing with local partners to provide basic care items such as tents, blankets, food rations, etc to 20,000 affectees in the next 7 days. They need 30 million Pak rupees to meet this goal. Their US-based website accepts online/credit card donations.

UNICEF
http://www.supportunicef.org/site/pp.asp?c=iuI1LdP0G&b=1101213
Make an on-line donation to help provide emergency relief for those children affected by the Earthquake in South Asia

International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent
http://www.ifrc.org/helpnow/donate/donate_response.asp
The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies is mobilizing emergency teams including experts in logistics, shelter, disaster relief coordination, telecommunications, health, water and sanitation and information.

Concern USA
https://payment.concernusa.org/countries.aspx?id=33

Hidaya Foundation
http://www.hidaya.org/

Mercy Corps
http://www.mercycorps.org/topics/emergencies/910

Relief International
http://www.ri.org

Islamic Relief
https://www.irw.org/donate/
Islamic Relief has launched a worldwide $10 million appeal for emergency disaster relief for earthquake victims. Of this, $4 million has already been allocated for immediate relief projects.

Action Aid
https://support.actionaid.org.uk/store/checkout_donation.asp?prod_id=70
ActionAid teams based in India and Pakistan are delivering a combination of food, shelter and psychological support to ensure that thousands of earthquake survivors receive both immediate and long-term support.

Earthquake 2005 Get Involved - Link to Site

2005-10-15T01:06:00.000-07:00

http://bitsonline.net/bitsonline.net_non_ssl/earthquake/

The link above is one of the more comprehensive ones on relief efforts, resources, updates, stories.

This site is apparently operated by the Joint Action Committee which is a coalition of NGOs and individual volunteers. Please pass this on to anyone you believe would find this useful.

Review of Overall Relief Efforts as of Oct 14

2005-10-15T00:43:00.000-07:00

Source: Department for International Development
Date: 14 Oct 2005

I. SITUATION OVERVIEW

7.6 earthquake (depth 10 kilometres) hit at 08.50 Pakistan time (03.50GMT) 8 October 2005, with the epicentre in the Muzaffarabad area, 95kmnorthnortheast of Islamabad (highly populated). Worst affected within100-km radius of epicentre.- Severe damage in six districts of Northwest Frontier Province (NWFP) andfive districts of Pakistan administered Kashmir. Towns in Indianadministered Kashmir also affected (centred around Srinagar).- 4 million affected; 1 million displaced. (UNDAC)- Pakistan latest death toll estimates 25,000; 63,000 injured (expected torise). (Government)- Strong aftershocks continue. Weather conditions worsening withtemperatures falling, rain and snow reported.- International Search and Rescue operations are no longer taking place.Response efforts shift to emergency relief.- International assistance requested by Pakistan at 00.00 GMT 9 October.

II. KEY RESPONSE ISSUES

Pakistan Priority needs as announced by the Government on 12 October:

-helicopters;
-50,000 winterised family tents (average family size 7 persons);
-1 million blankets;
-medicine;
-disinfectants (for bodies);
-water purification kits;
-food.

International field hospitals are either functioning or on their way to the region; (Rawalakot, Chakoti, Rawalpindi, Mansehra, Muzaffarabad and Bagh, Battagram, Gharhi).

III. DFID RESPONSE TO DATE

Current Operations

Government has pledged a contribution of £13 million towards relief effort(including £1 million contribution from DFID Pakistan). £2 millioncommitted.
With the Search and rescue phase over, UK Search and Rescue teams are returning home.
4 Rapid team members will remain in Islamabad to support the local effort.
They are expected to return to the UK next week. UK teams made fourteen live rescues.

Two Dubai airlifts of 500 winterised family tents arrived in Islamabadtoday. Four flights are scheduled to depart Dubai over the next 24 hours carrying 1,700 winterised family tents, 14,700 collapsible 10-litre jerrycans, and 7,530 wool blankets. Total commitment for this task is currently£1.1 million.

Lahore-Muzaffarabad trucks: Two trucks carrying 5,000 tarpaulins arrived in Muzaffarabad on 13 October. 1,000 winterised family tents to arrive in the next 48 hours. All supplies handed over to Islamic Relief as they arrive.

A Humanitarian Information Centre (HIC), 264 tents, and 5,000 collapsible jerry cans scheduled to arrive in Islamabad 15.00 local today. HIC equipment will go to OCHA; tents and jerry cans consigned to Oxfam.

1,000 winterised family tents consigned to Christian Aid partner ChurchWorld Service Pakistan in Lahore. They will be responsible for transporting to Mansehra for immediate distribution.

536 winterised family tents and 20,000 blankets arrived in Islamabad at 07.45 local on 12 October. The tents were handed over on arrival to Oxfam and the blankets to Islamic Relief for immediate distribution.

$250,000 to support the World Health Organization for shipment of healthand trauma kits to Pakistan (covering 40,000 people for 3 months).

IV. NATIONAL RESPONSE

PakistanThe Government has moved two Divisions of the Army into NWFP and PakistanAdministered Kashmir and setting up five advanced staging posts (Bagh,Muzaffarabad, Mansehra, Rajikot, Balakot) for facilitation anddistribution.

Restoration of utilities such as electrical supply and telecommunicationscontinue to be a top priority.The Prime Minister’s Office has appointed a Relief Co-ordinator

The President of Pakistan has established a relief fund.

IV. INTERNATIONAL RESPONSE

UN Resident Representative/UNDP Resident Co-ordinator, is to be appointed the Humanitarian Co-ordinator.

UN to establish five combined offices in Muzaffarabad, Mansehra, Bagh,Balakot and Batagram. These will act as humanitarian hubs for providingcommon services to the humanitarian community. (UNDAC)UNDAC team to stand down over weekend, to be replaced by OCHA team.

An On-Site Operations Coordination Centre (OSOCC) functioning in Muzaffarabad.WHO appealing for a large number of national public health officers toscale up all health activities.WFP began distributing high energy biscuits to 12,000 people inMuzaffarabad. Trucks carrying 30 MT of biscuits arrived in Muzaffarabad.

Reuters Alertnet ON THE GROUND: South Asia quake – day seven

2005-10-15T00:32:00.000-07:00

Aid traffic makes bad roads worse
Many roads in Kashmir are blocked, and rain and aftershocks are probably making routes even less accessible, as well as highly dangerous, an aid agency logistics officer in Pakistan said.
“First there is the risk, and there is the fact that trucks moving on a bad surface is going to make it worse.

“...However, he said more helicopters had arrived. “Now Aga Khan (Foundation) has four helicopters, (International Committee of the Red Cross) ICRC has two, U.N. have two now… Of course, it’s not enough, but for me it’s good.”

Spontaneous generosity blocks roads and aid
Well-meaning members of the public are driving supplies into the quake zone, blocking roads and delaying official relief from getting through to the people who need it, according to Amanda Pitt, spokeswoman for the U.N. team coordinating information on the relief response. “The real problem with the roads now is not landslides but congestion,” she said. “Pakistani communities have got cars and trucks and filled them with nrelief goods and are just driving them up there, as are the army and the relief agencies. In the centre of Muzaffarabad, the roads were practically gridlocked yesterday.” She said the government was doing what it could to channel private relief donations.

“When people want to help, that’s what they do, and you really can’t stop them doing that. The message they’re getting is people need your food, water, food, clothing and tents now, so of course their reaction is get in a car and go and give it to them."

“There is a huge Pakistani diaspora and a large percentage of those people’s families are from this area. They’re mobilising huge amounts of aid. It’s something everybody’s very grateful for.”
She said the Pakistani government was in charge of clearing and repairing roads – which were re-opening all the time -- and the army was establishing field hospitals, digging latrines, and setting up tents. She said: “It’s their job to do, it’s their country. We are only here to support them.”

Top tent-producing nation running short of tents
Concern’s head of operations in Pakistan, Dorothy Blane, said tents were hard to come by even though Pakistan was ironically one of the world’s major tent manufactures. “It’s a race against time in terms of the weather … There was a first light snow fall today and it’s only going to get worse,” she said speaking from Islamabad. "Pakistan is one of the world’s main suppliers of tents to the world, but it’s very hard to get them here. They don’t have 100,000 sitting waiting here. They can make the tents fairly quickly, but they don’t have giant stocks.” “Food supply is not an issue, but food distribution is an issue – there’s still 20 percent of the affected area that we do not have access to.” “We are still hearing stories of people coming out alive today but I ndon’t think there will be many more.”

TCF Flyer - Reconstruction Fund Drive

2005-10-14T11:58:00.000-07:00

CLICK FLYER TO ENLARGE

New TCF Fund-Online Tax Deductible Donations

2005-10-14T11:37:00.000-07:00

NEW SITE: http://www.tcfusa.org/events/EQReliefFund.htm

Our organization, The Citizens Foundation (www.thecitizensfoundation.org) has set up a TCF Relief Fund for the Earthquake. Although TCF's mission is to provide primary and secondary education in Pakistan, the scale of this tragedy has prompted us into using our expertise for immediate relief and then in phase II for building houses destroyed by the quake. 100% of funds donated to The TCF Relief Fund will go towards relief efforts in the earthquake affected areas. At this point TCF is accepting only cash donations. For details please see attached flyer. http://www.tcfusa.org/events/EQReliefFundFlyer.gif

To Donate Online to The Citizens Foundation Relief Fund: http://www.tcfusa.org/events/EQReliefFund.htm
All donations made from this page will go into a separate TCF, USA Earthquake Relief Fund.

DONATION CHECKS should be made to "The Citizens Foundation, USA" - marked in memo for "Earthquake Relief" - and mailed to:

TCF, USA Treasurer,The Citizens Foundation, USA100 Tri State International, Suite 128Lincolnshire, IL 60069

If you would like more information on TCF's relief efforts on the ground in the affected area s, please go to http://tcfquake.blogspot.com/ run by TCF's Volunteers.

We will also have these regular updates on our websites at www.tcfusa.org
or www.thecitizensfoundation.org

PLEASE DISTRIBUTE this link - http://www.tcfusa.org/events/EQReliefFund.htm to everyone on your email lists and encourage generous donations for earthquake relief without delay.
Follow this link http://www.thecitizensfoundation.org/relief_fund/index.htm to go directly to The Citizens Foundation page on Earthquake Relief.

Other useful links: http://www.pakistanfund.org/relief/default.htm. The Resource Group (TRG) is setting up toll-free numbers to collect donations. Will let everyone know as soon as they are operational.

************************************
Executive Director The Citizens Foundation,
USA 11 East 44th Street Suite 1800
New York, NY 10017 Tel: (212) 682 0506

Another way to donate to Edhi Foundation...

2005-10-13T21:40:00.000-07:00

You can donate to the Edhi Foundation through the Association for the Development of Pakistan (www.developpakistan.org), which is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization.

They have set up 3 different organizations you can donate through via Paypal. The three organizations are Edhi Foundation, The President's Fund and ADP's Earthquake Redevelopment Fund.

As of October 13, 2005, 12am EST they had raised $123,156.44 between the 3 funds.

Edhi (USA/International) & Imran Khan Donations

2005-10-13T00:24:00.000-07:00

I am posting the following as these organizations do not seem to have proper websites displaying the donation information at this time:

USA Edhi International Foundation.
42-07 National street
Corona, New York, 11368 U.S.A.
Tel: (718)(639-5120)
Fax:(718)(335-1978)

IMRAN KHAN EARTHQUAKE RELIEF FUND
Muslim Commercial Bank
Main Civic Center Branch, Islamabad
Pakistan Donations
Account Number: 0613-01-01-3488-4S

SWIFT Code: MUCBPKKAMCC
INTERNATIONAL ROUTING THROUGH:
AMERICAN EXPRESS BANK, NY, USA
SWIFT Code: AEIBUS33
OR
NATWEST BANK PLC, LONDON, UK
SWIFT Code: NWBKGB2L
Shaukat Khannum Hospital is also sending a team of doctors and nurses with medical supplies

News from Pakistan-updates on where to donate effectively

2005-10-13T00:03:00.000-07:00

From Farjad working from Lahore....

"...my phone is constantly ringing and i'm getting an email and SMS an hour, as it seems the whole city is raising funds for the earthquake victims. people are frantically doing wholesale purchases of blankets, tents, dried milk, flour and warm clothes, packing them up in individual packs and sending them off on trucks.

however the current situation is that most of the effected areas are still inaccessible by vehicles...so there's a huge question mark over whether the goodwill of those who want to help will ever reach those who need it in time?

in Pakistan there is the trusted name of Edhi Foundation which can be relied upon to deliver and people are generously donating to them. from what i gather, Edhi is working mainly in Muzaffarabad and the surrounding areas in Kashmir.

but for the hardest hit areas of Balakot, Mansehra and the adjoining villages, the best organisation to support is Sungi / Omar Asghar Khan Development Foundation (OAKDF). These people have been working in that area for the last 20 years and their head offices are in Abottabad, which has become the nervecentre for relief efforts.

Most importantly, they have knowledge of the local geography, conditions and routes which anyone from the outside would be unaware of. They have a loose network of grassroot workers spread over remote villages, so they are best situated to know what is needed and where..."

If you'd like more info you can call
Ali Asghar Khan of OAKDF : 00-92-300-8565279

Or if you'd like to make a direct donation, then the relevant information is as follows:

For those outside Pakistan:

Omar Asghar Khan Development Foundation
MCB Bank Ltd.
Abbottabad
Pakistan

US Dollar A/C No: 0585-12-02-542-2

Swift Code: MUCBPKKAA

For donations in Pak Rs.:

PAK RS A/C: 0585-01-01-6019-3

Earthquake, magnitude 5.6, hits northern Pakistan-October 12

2005-10-12T23:57:00.000-07:00

SAN FRANCISCO, Oct 12 (Reuters) - A 5.6 magnitude earthquake hit Pakistan on Wednesday, 85 miles (135 km) north of Islamabad, according to preliminary reports from the U.S. Geological Survey.
The quake, which occurred at 1:23 a.m. local time on Thursday, is the latest in a series of aftershocks in the four days after a devastating earthquake in the region that is estimated to have killed more than 40,000 people.

AlertNet news is provided by Reuters.

2005-10-12T17:26:00.000-07:00

Northern Pakistan Earthquake of 8 Oct 2005. Source: United States National Earthquake Information Center

Some guidelines for this Weblog

2005-10-12T13:35:00.000-07:00

As a web logger, you can post comments to this site. People are able to view the comments. I will try to update the site with any submissions which are newsworthy, provide additional insight or are informational and useful to the readers at large.

One of the goals of this web log site is to continue to provide updates on where and how to donate. If you see a link on the right column, please do not resubmit that organization's link, unless you have some useful information to pass along (ie: if a particular organization is being very effective in reaching the affected areas, an update on a routing number for banks/donations, etc.) If there are organizations or groups which do not have established websites, you can send them in the comment or email them on this weblog site.

It would be very useful to provide us any updates and feedbacks if you have any direct contact with people on the 'ground' who are working with mobilzing the aid efforts. Friends or family who may be involved onsite will have a better understanding of the immediate and long term needs. If there is anything in particular they are looking for - more funds, in kind donations, heavy equippment, please post and hopefully the needs can continue to be met.

Help Pakistan Now - Note from me

2005-10-12T00:29:00.000-07:00

The despair and devastation last Saturday's 7.6 magnitude earthquake has left has been absolutely overwhelming. To those who have lost so many, we can only pray for them and their families. For those who are still awaiting aid, care, shelter, food and medical attention, we hope that the herculean efforts being made by Pakistanis domestically, their counterparts abroad, as well as so many non-Pakistanis and international efforts are getting to the remote and affected areas in the most expeditious manner.

Many of us living in the US and abroad are mobilizing and organizing means by which to donate financial assistance, as well as donations in kind through the massive collection of needed goods and supplies, which are being air cargoed by donor organizations, and the national air carrier, PIA. Emails containing links to viable organizations collecting funds, personal fund raising for immediate dispensing in the areas and numerous other resources are flooding all our Inboxes. It is heartwarming and enlightening to see our community come together like this. My wish is that we can always be this resourceful in the long run.

My goal on this Blog is be able to have a place on the webworld for posting of these very useful links and any feedback, information or updates there may be in that regard, which I will try to update at the end of the day.

I ask that you make your comments clearly and succinctly. I truly hope that this will become a 'quick and easy to use' source now, during the emergency, and to continue during the hard weeks, months and years of rebuilding to come. It is up to us to continue to remember and help rebuild the lives of these once flourshing and vibrant communities of our dear nation.

Thanks.
Aisha