Village Data

Relief inforamtion System for Earthquake in Pakistan (Rise-Pak) is a website which provides and gathers Demographic, Disaster, Access, and Assistance data and maps on all Earthquake Affected Villages to Help Coordinate Relief Efforts. Thier web address is www.risepak.com

Please visit this website for any information related to affected areas. If you have any information to submit, please feel free to fill in the form and submit it. All the relavent information is available on their website.

On another note, I have officially taken another project on my plate as of today. Me and a few friends, the ones i initially got started on this whole relief thing with, have taken ownership of a tent camp that has been setup right on Murree road. All the residents there are coming in mainly from Kashmir. It is a mess and our job will be to clean up the mess, create an organized system and hand it over to some others who can then maintain and manage it (hopefully!). This camp is located on Murree Road enroute to Barakoh. It is about 1 Kilometer short of the Barakoh entrance (main bazaar).

If anyone wants to volunteer, we need the help! contact me (+92-333-528-9108) and we can see how you can lend your services to us and at least help this small group of about 3000 people. The average increase in refugees is about 20-30 people per day. We have officially done a census and I have compiled an excel spreadsheet of all the residents. It is in its final stages and then we will commence registering people electronically instead of on paper, to ensure it does NOT get misplaced.

Free Eyesight Checkup & Spectacles for Quake Victims

The following information was obtained during one of our distilling sessions of NGO Sit Reps.

Tanveer Optics has offered free eyesight checkup and spectacles for the quake victims (only). Tanveer Optics is located in Melody Market, Sector G-6, Islamabad. For more details please contact Syed Tanveer Ahmad at 2206620 and/or 2828239. Alternatively, you may send an e-mai to Tanveer Optics on tanweeroptical@cyber.net.pk

Please feel free to cross post/forward this to those involved in the relief work and hospital staff who are dealing with quake patients.

Volunteer Medical Staff Required

From a mailing list via Lahore Metblogs:

If any one knows a Doctor / Paramedical staff who could join NetSol's relief team to visit the disaster site, please contact any of the following (on urgent basis).

111 44 88 00

1. Shoaib Khan Tareen Ext: 203
2. Abdul Rauf Bhatti Ext: 207
3. Muhammad Rizwan Ext: 195

Helicopters may soon be grounded in Pakistan

Helicopters ferrying food and supplies to Pakistan's quake victims stranded in the Himalayas may have to be grounded in just days if donors fail to increase emergency relief aid, a U.N. official warned. Aid workers are scrambling to supply the millions of Pakistanis who have no food, water, shelter or medicine in the freezing temperatures of the Himalayas, said Robert Smith, financial expert at the United Nations' leading disaster-relief body, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

Workers have resorted to rafts and pack mules to reach them, but helicopters, though costly, have proven the most useful.

"When the money runs out, the choppers stay on the ground and that's what's going to start happening in the next couple of days. One large helicopter can cost up to $6,000 ($A8000) per hour. Nobody is using helicopters for fun," he added.


Source: GEO TV

Give Them Shelter

By ALEXANDER SAUNDERS
Published: October 28, 2005 in the New York Times

THE earthquake in Pakistan has left millions homeless. Umar Ghuman, Pakistan's minister of foreign investment and a longtime customer of my foundry supply company, has asked me to help find housing for as many of these people as possible before the onset of winter in the next few days.

Tents are not protection enough, and conventional prefabricated houses are neither readily available nor easy to ship. The solution, then, is to think of something less conventional, like the work shed-greenhouse combinations sold at Sam's Club and other retailers. Such sheds - small (882 cubic feet), plastic, weather-tight, insulated and portable - retail for around $2,000. Two hundred thousand of these houses - temporary homes for a million people - would cost less than $400 million.

These sheds come in sections, such that a C5-A military cargo plane could fit hundreds of units on a single flight. The manufacturer can produce nearly 20,000 units per month, but additional new machinery could be developed promptly to speed up production. Although there are many garden structures to choose from, the one that combines both shelter and greenhouse functions is manufactured in Winfield, Kan.

Large enough to house a small family, the work shed and greenhouse, if supplied with water and seed, can also provide bean and alfalfa sprouts as well as other fast- growing vegetables. It can be fitted with solar panels for hot water and electricity. The built-in workbenches are ideal bed platforms.

Once delivered to Pakistan, the house kits could be carried in sections by the region's ubiquitous minitrucks, or even by backpackers or helicopters where mountain villages are inaccessible. An experienced team can assemble the houses in minutes on firm, dry, level ground. Their construction is both rugged and flexible enough to withstand future shocks.

This is an opportunity for the United States to present to the world a product of our manufacturing ingenuity delivered by our military might. The United States needs to regain credibility with its friends throughout the region, and the people there need housing desperately.

How about it, retailers? Can you contribute your inventory to start these houses on their way immediately? How about it, United States Air Force? Will you fly your C5-A's on a humanitarian mission?

We need to do this now, not next week or next month. Winter - with mountain blizzards, powerful winds and subzero temperatures - will come to the Himalayas in days. The commercial air freight system is already shipping blankets, tents and medical supplies. That's a good start, but it is in no way adequate for housing people in winter.

Of course we must remember the needs of our own hurricane victims, as well as the tsunami victims still in makeshift camps. But the winter storms of the high mountains present a mortal threat that demands an immediate response. We have the means. So what are we waiting for?

Alexander Saunders is a founder of Clearwater, an environmental organization.

Source: New York Times

Pakistan Embraces Internet After Quake

It is heartening to see the effect the internet has on the relief operations. Many NGO's are planning their operations with the help of the many websites keeping tabs on relief operations, news, maps, links to other organizations etc. It is much easier to just get on the internet and get information then wait around for official information. While the most important thing is getting the physical releif operations going, access to information makes organizing everything much easier.

There have still been too many mishaps with different relief operations converging on the same area while other areas nearby still hadn't received any help, and other teams (especially non medical ones) who were unsure what to do. There needs to be a way to provide those in the field with an updated picture. Cell phones work, but they waste time as people call back and forth, with numerous dropped calls in between. New teams going on should be able to look at, asses where they are needed, and go there - instead of waiting around. Don't take this as critiscm - the technology is not quite there to be easily able to do all this, but there is a definite need for a better way to get information across to those who need it where they need it.

Three weeks left to get tents to the homeless

There are only three weeks left to get shelter to the three million homeless people in Kashmir and the North West Frontier Province.

The first snowfall is expected in mid-November and the UN WHO has warned that survivors may die of hypothermia if they still have no shelter by then.

Around 540,000 tents are needed to protect homeless survivors from the harsh Himalayan winter. Officials fear that they will be around 200,000 tents short.

source: Islamic Relief

Aid distributed by IR over the last couple of days

A summary of the aid distributed by IR over the last few days. If anyone would like a full listing, village by village, contact me on muhammad [dot] ansa [at] islamic-relief [dot] org [dot] uk, and I'll send it over to you.

In Bagh, 3,500 quilts, 2,000 blankets, 176 tents, 1,000 food packs, 2,000 bottles of cooking oil, 700 kg of pulses, 779 kitchen sets and 872 mats were distributed to survivors. IR aid workers also gave out water canisters, dates, flour and plastic sheets. The aid was distributed in around 100 villages in the Bagh district over three days.

In Rawalakot, IR staff distributed over 1,000 quilts, 200 blankets, 400 tents and 1,485 food packs to survivors in around 30 villages over three days. People also received 960 kitchen sets, 300 plastic sheets and cooking oil.

In Muzaffarabad, IR staff continue to distribute aid. Survivors received 1,917 quilts, nearly 2,000 blankets, 286 tents, 259 kitchen sets, food, plastic sheets, hygiene kits and other aid items.

Source

Kala Dhaka Neglected in Relief & Rescue Activities

Residents of 24 villages of Kala Dhaka, one of the worst earthquake-hit areas in the northern districts, have complained that no aid or relief could be provided to them even after the lapse of about three weeks of the catastrophe. Dil Faroz alias Pirbagaru said that members of National Assembly from the area Maulana Abdul Malik and provincial assembly Zargul Khan had promised the people that relief goods would be supplied to them through helicopters, but they could see no helicopter carrying relief goods during the 18 days.

According to Faroz, the worst affected villages in the area were Kan Paen, Kan Bala, Toram Morta, Zondi Zaidan, Beeran, Laridaro, Kanol, Char Sergai, Kozkai, Mori Kharwa, Ona, Janjoria, Sokal Paen, Sokal Bala, Pirkel, Sherkat, Kongar Sabe, Mera Khankel, Teegram, Teeli, Kwani Seerai, Meerabad, Shawa Naranj and Kalo Khan.

The first and foremost need in the area is that of tents and blankets, he said, adding that they had been spending the chilly nights in light Chaders (shawls). Only some non-governmental donor agencies approached the area and distributed old cloths, sweaters and quilts among some of the people, but no governmental organisation even the army had paid any visit to the area up till now. He feared if temporary shelter and blankets were not provided to them, many of them particularly women and children would die of cold that is gaining more and more intensity with each passing day. Read More....


Source: PakPositive

Pakistan Pays Up To $1,500 Per Hour For Relief Chopper Fuel

As the United Nations urges the world to move urgently and generously for quake victims, the Pakistani government is paying a high price for fuel ranging from 50,000 to 90,000 Pakistani rupees (about 830 - 1500 US dollars) per hour for different helicopters engaged in relief operations, Pakistan's Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) director-general Major General Shaukat Sultan told the Pakistani daily Dawn. There are almost 90 helicopters engaged in relief operations and each one is flying over eight hours a day, he said. On average, the 90 helicopters consume 5,582,400 litres of fuel in a single day. Read More ....


Source: AKI

Thousands trapped in Pakistani tourist resort

Mohammad Bashir Zaman, a guide, is among thousands of people still trapped in the popular Pakistani tourist resort of Naran, following the devastating regional earthquake of 8 October. Whereas only two or three lives were lost in the Naran area - one of the most popular destinations in the Kaghan valley - following the quake most local people have been trapped in the area by landslides on roads, unable to travel southwards and now desperately short of food.

"The situation here is very bad. Many buildings are damaged, including the resort run by the PTDC [Pakistan Tourism Development Corporation] by the riverside, and we quite literally have no food supplies," said Zaman, speaking over the telephone.

He also reported that the first snows of winter had already fallen in the area, located 10,500ft [do we prefer metres rather than feet?] above sea level and some 280 km north of the Pakistani capital, Islamabad.

"Conditions now are really bad here. There has been no relief dropped by helicopter or provided through any other means. I can't understand why aid is not being dropped by chopper. Perhaps attention has not been given because the number of deaths here is very small," maintained Zaman. He added that because many buildings were damaged, people preferred not to venture into them, despite the freezing weather. Read More ....


Source: IRIN

Pakistan opens quake relief centers along LoC

Pakistan has opened earthquake relief centers along the Line of Control (LoC) in Kashmir to improve the flow of aid and movement of people affected by the disaster, Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz said Thursday in Moscow.

"We have as of last night opened relief centers on various proposed points of movement across the Line of Control," Aziz told reporters as he prepared to return to Islamabad after attending a meeting of Shanghai Cooperation Council in Moscow.

Aziz said there were people on both sides of the Line of Control (LoC) who wanted to visit others and take part in efforts to provide relief to victims of the October 8 earthquake. "This will be aid going in both directions. It's not a one-way traffic," he said.

"Wherever these points open there will be relief camps for people to cross over from held Kashmir to get assistance". Indian government officials were to meet with Pakistani officials in Islamabad on Friday "to sort out the modalities" of the Kashmir border crossing points, Aziz said.


Source: The News

Advise on tents

Please keep in mind the requirements for tents if you are purchasing. No point in wasting time and money buying tents that do not serve the purpose of winter protection (i.e. cold, snow, rain)

-The larger the better (typically 4x4 metres)
-Thick cloth / Parachute
-Insulated paneling
-Ground layer (polyprop)
-Door flaps -
-Material that is water and fireproof is preferable

Anyone else got suggestions, feel free to add.

Pregnant Women In Quake Zone At Risk

In addition to other problems, pregnant women who survived the South Asian earthwuake are now at risk for miscarriages, premature labor and death.Amid all the misery plaguing survivors of the South Asian earthquake comes another concern. Health officials worry that the quake may have triggered a number of miscarriages and premature labor among the estimated 40,000 pregnant women living in the quake zone.

That puts an extra layer of demands on Pakistan's health care system, which many experts consider barely adequate in the best of times. The earthquake not only killed at least 79,000 people, it also destroyed or seriously damaged a number of medical clinics and hospitals in northwestern Pakistan and Pakistani-controlled Kashmir. A doctor volunteering at the only hospital still standing in one town says six of the 30 deliveries performed in the last ten days were stillborn, while there have also been at least ten miscarriages since the quake hit.


Source: WFMY News 2

Free Call Center for Coordinating Medical Professionals

ICNA Relief has established a free Call Center for Medical Professionals working in the field. It will coordinate the physicians and teams for Earthquake Relief. The call center relays the messages and sets up conference calls. The call center can be reached from inside Pakistan at 021-432-4064 and from the US by a toll free number 1-800-953-1269. At least 5 coordinators will be standing by 24/7 for all calls.


Source: ICNA Relief

In devastated Uri, people try to start life again

Those who are dead will be remembered and those who survived in this quake want to start their life again. This is now the general feeling in this quake hit area. People want to restore their routine work and most of the people can be seen resuming their work also.

The main challenges which authorities face in this area is immediate restoration of derailed water pipelines, reopening of schools and the stay of skilled and unskilled manpower in this area to guide and help the quake hit people to start their life again. Besides the carcass disposal is demanding more attention so that the chances of epidemic can be prevented.

"Neither we have any drinking water nor our children have any books and besides that we fear more deaths due to the epidemic in this area," said Mohammad Shareef of Dachi.

The government girl's higher secondary school, which was reopened Tuesday, witnessed the presence of fifty students but nobody had any books. The school will work in tin sheds and a nearby tent will serve the purpose of principle's office.

"We do not need any clothes but what we need is shelter. Give us hardware, timber and tin we will construct some rooms ourselves," asked Qurban Ali resident of Dullanja.


Source: Kashar

Islamabad on Five Big Fault Lines

Islamabad is situated on five major fault lines, one of which is exactly underneath the Faisal Mosque, a top official said yesterday. Allah Bakhsh Kosar, the director of the Geological Survey of Pakistan (GSP), and MZ Babar, a GSP geo-physicist, said it could not be determined when these fault lines will cause another earthquake. The officials said that an earthquake with a magnitude of 3.7 was reported a few days ago, and had its epicentre near Shahzad Town. They said that the fault lines under Islamabad were around 30mn years old.

“The earthquakes have to come sooner or later. The important thing is how well we are prepared to face them,” they said, adding that the entire country, except the planes of Punjab, was tectonically fractured. They said that the ancient civilisation of Taxila might also have perished from a severe earthquake. A major 2km fault line was situated under Havellian, they said.

The GSP officials said that when the government had planned to declare Islamabad the federal capital, its seismic zoning was conducted. Geologists had warned the then government that Islamabad was prone to high intensity earthquakes because it was situated in an active earthquake zone. The officials said that it was not advisable to construct high-rise buildings in Islamabad. They said that no building structure higher than two stories should be allowed in the federal capital, as the earth’s crust in Islamabad could not sustain the weight of high-rise buildings.


Source: Internews via Gulf Times

FRC Appeals for Medical Equipment

The Federal Relief Commission has appealed to philanthropists to donate medical equipment for the treatment of quake-affected victims.

The articles urgently required are reconstruction plates, interlocking nails, DCP Plates, DHS plates, ext fixators, AO fixators, five Steinman pins, recon nails, screws, plates and k-wiring.

Donors can contact Maj Gen Abdul Qadir on 0300-9555660, or Lt Col Ilyas on 0333-5639623.


Source: Daily Times

Earthquake death toll rises to 54,000: Sherpao

The death toll from the October 8 massive earthquake has increased to 54,000 and is likely to rise, Interior Minister Aftab Ahmad Khan Sherpao said here Wednesday. He told reporters that 77,000 people were injured in the earthquake that ravaged an area spread over 21,000 square kilometre, leaving millions homeless. Tents are a priority item to provide shelter to all quake affected people before extreme winter sets in, he said.

"The government is striving to shelter quake survivors in tent villages, but many people are not ready to leave their areas." he said.

Sherpao said every effort was being made to bridge the gap between demand and supply of tents. The Minister said that relief operations were continuing in full swing in the affected areas. He urged people staying near their devatasted homes at high altitudes to come down so that they could be provided with adequate shelter, medical help and items of daily use.


Source: APP

URGENT: Emergency/Broadcast Radio for Quake Survivors Needed

Internews, a leading international media development organisation, has called for immediate action to improve the information flow to victims of the huge earthquake which hit Pakistan on 8 October, leaving over 53,000 dead and up to 3 million homeless. Local media in the disaster zone has been badly affected, with public and commercial radio broadcast stations and newspaper printing and distribution facilities largely destroyed.

Internews has already dispatched a radio production unit with a team of 12 reporters to produce programmes highlighting the immediate needs for the people in quake-hit areas in the local languages. The programmes are being aired through a private FM station in Abbottabad city in the North West Frontier Province (NWFP), with a signal that can reach almost all of the tremor-hit zone of northern Pakistan and Pakistani-administered Kashmir.

The major needs for broadcast/media infrastructure, production & training support are as follows:

- transmitters, antennas, mobile radio studios, and generators
- minidisk recorders, portable computers, satellite phones, transportation, and technical support
- field & mobile production equipment

If you are able to assist with this need or if you know someone who can help out with getting these emergency radio sets please contact Adnan Rehmat at +92(300) 850 6354 or contact the Internews Office in Pakistan at +92(51) 287 7984. Alternatively you may send an email to Adnan or Ivan Sigal.

Source: Global Voices

Urgent need for emergency radio for quake survivors

Internews, a leading international media development organisation, has called for immediate action to improve the information flow to victims of the huge earthquake which hit Pakistan on 8 October, leaving over 53,000 dead and up to 3 million homeless. Local media in the disaster zone has been badly affected, with public and commercial radio broadcast stations and newspaper printing and distribution facilities largely destroyed.

Internews has already dispatched a radio production unit with a team of 12 reporters to produce programmes highlighting the immediate needs for the people in quake-hit areas in the local languages. The programmes are being aired through a private FM station in Abbottabad city in the North West Frontier Province (NWFP), with a signal that can reach almost all of the tremor-hit zone of northern Pakistan and Pakistani-administered Kashmir.

If you are able to assist with this need or if you know someone who can help out with getting these emergency radios please contact Adnan Rehmat at +92(300) 850 6354 or send an email to Ivan Sigal sigal[at]internews.org

New aftershocks jolt Pakistan quake-hit territories

Four aftershocks measuring up to 5.2 on the Richter scale shook northern Pakistan early Wednesday, sparking fears of more landslides after the devastating October 8 earthquake, an official said. There were no immediate reports of injuries or damage from the tremors, which came hours before a major United Nations quake donors conference in Geneva.

The heaviest aftershock, with a magnitude of 5.2, came at 6:43 am and there were three weaker tremors between 5:00 am and 9:00 am, Qamaruz Zaman, chief of the country's seismological department, told a news agency. Witnesses said the biggest shock woke people from their sleep in the capital Islamabad and the devastated city of Muzaffarabad.

"An aftershock with a magnitude of more than five can cause landslides in the hilly terrain," Zaman said.


Source: The News

ESRI Provides Emergency Response Services to Pakistan Following Earthquake

In response to the 7.6 magnitude earthquake that occurred October 8, in Muzaffarabad, Pakistan, ESRI is providing a number of geographic information system (GIS) support services designed to assist responding agencies and victims.

To request emergency software, data/imagery, or services/consulting assistance, complete and submit the Request Emergency Assistance form located at the ESRI Earthquake Response page (http://www.esri.com/earthquakehelp). All requests for assistance should be justified and show direct support for the disaster. Contact the Disaster Help Coordination team for general request inquiries via e-mail - Disaster_help[at]esri.com and include the Assist ID number and agency name in the e-mail subject line.

In addition, ESRI is working closely with URISA's GISCorps, a nonprofit organization, to coordinate short-term, volunteer-based GIS services to the affected area. GIS professionals who would like to volunteer time and services should complete the online application on URISA's GISCorps Web site. Agencies and organizations assisting in relief efforts that are searching for volunteers with GIS expertise can e-mail the GISCorps committee members at info[at]urisa.org for a list of qualified applicants.


Source: Directions Magazine

South Asia: Blog Quake Day

Over the last year blogs have become instrumental in gathering support for causes and highlighting issues that have been forgotten by the Main Stream Media. Sepia Mutiny made a crucial statement - that there was no excuse to not give, when those with so little were giving so much.

So, while Kofi Annan slams countries for only committing to about a tenth of what quake victims need, victims of the tsunami—who are still suffering from their own tragedy which stole 200,000 lives all over Asia— have donated to local quake relief efforts. Maybe the world is suffering from “disaster fatigue”.

Responding to this call - DesiPundit announced Blog Quake Day on 26 Oct 2005. Calling to all bloggers worldwide to exericse their power

We request each of you to make a small post about the earthquake, and direct your readers to a suitable avenue for donating to the relief efforts… Every single dollar contributed, multiplied by the vast numbers of bloggers, will go a long way in helping these people rebuild their lives.

Blogs the globe over have responded to this call. Instapundit echoed the thought. Chapati Mystery has T-shirts whose sales proceeds will go for Earthquake relief. An appeal to podcasters. Other posts on Blog Quake Day - Sepia Mutiny, De Growchy Owl, Truth and Beauty, Veiled4Allah, Travel tales from India.

(Thanks to Neha over at Global Voices for the blog posting above)

Bali Memorial Trust

My dad's ngo is also working with the Bali Memorial Trust group because one of the heads, Dr. Abid Malik, is a close friend and a member of Friends of P.I.M.S. (dads ngo). We are trying to get volunteers together to help with all kinds of things.

Feel free to call me for any information on that. +92-333-528-9108

You know, honestly the thing these kids need most is some attention, some real value added attention. Many of them have suffered trauma we may never experience in our entire lives and are so disassociated from everything they know to be safe.

Originally, this was just a comment, but I think it deserves a post status.

I did a tour of the hospital with my entire group the other day. My dad wanted to meet us all and introduce them to Dr. Abid and see what we can do to get involved.

You know, I think I might be trying to handle too many things at once. God help me, God help us all!!!
SHAKETHEQUAKE!

More Money, More Solutions!

With the help of an independent group of students here from Dubai, I will be helping organize a series of fundraising concerts at Alhambra III (located in Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore). We are looking to raise as much money as possible so our output will be at a minimum and our input at max. We would appreciate any help with publicity, sponsorship and any other assistance.

If anyone is able to and is interested in helping, please call me @ +92-333-528-9108 or Arsalan @ +92-321-405-0432 for more information.

Just like the rugby match, we hope that this will be a success, an even bigger one if possible, considering the cause. Many people trust us with the intentions of making sure the money and awareness is put to good use. We hope that you too can confide in us as we have many aspirations for the unfortunate victims of this travesty.

Let’s SHAKETHEQUAKE!

Kids Need Help in Islambad

Bali Memorial Trust along with Pakistan Dental Association has set up a camp hospital in Sports Complex, Islamabad. The patients, mostly children are brought to this field hospital for Post Operative Care. These kids are homeless, and shocked. We are doing everything we can to provide medical attention and relief for these patients. Please open your hearts to support these kids by supporting this effort in anyway possible... Read the list

Kinds of donation preferably required:

1. Cash.
2. Pillows.
3. Cooked food. (Lunch costs between 4000-5000 Rs, Dinner and Iftar costs 10,500/- Rs.)
4. Medicines (Valosef 500mg and 250mg injections. Dicloron injections).
5. Plaster of paris for casting broken limbs.
6. Surgical dressing material.
7. Pyodine.
8. Mouth wash.
9. Garbage bags.
10. Cartoon CD's for kids.
11. Adult pampers (medium & large sizes)

Pakistan Thanks you for all your help

Dr. Haroon Shahid Qazi
0300-5001774
Clinical Secretary,
Pakistan Dental Association (Federal Zone)
haroon77(@)cyber.net.pk


Source: Karachi Metblogs

No volcano in quake-hit Pakistan - geologists

Fears of a volcano pushing through the earthquake-shattered mountains of northern Pakistan have proved unfounded, geologists said on Wednesday. People in the remote Alai valley of North West Frontier Province had mistaken dust arising from landslides triggered by a strong aftershock on Sunday for smoke, said Allah Bakhsh Kausar, of the Geological Survey of Pakistan.

"I have spoken to the geologists sent to the area last night and they said there was no volcanic activity there," he told Reuters after the army flew a team of experts to the area by helicopter.

"The dust and fog hang in the air for a while because of the cold and it triggered panic in the area," he said following the aftershock of 6.0 magnitude which had its epicentre near the valley.

"There is no crack in the mountains, there is no eruption," Kausar told Reuters.

The aftershock was one of the strongest of around 900 recorded since Oct. 8 quake, which killed more than 53,000 people and left over 75,000 seriously injured.


Source: Reuters

Tremors continue in Pakistan

The residents of Rawalpindi and Islamabad remained under continuous fear and stress as another tremor of 5.0 magnitude jolted Rawalpindi, Islamabad, Mansehra, Abbotabad and Muzaffarabad areas on Tuesday evening at 7:58pm. In all, 55 aftershocks were recorded during the last 24 hours putting the total at 964. Another tremor of 4.0 magnitude jolted the capital and the other areas at 6:09pm. The epicentre of the aftershocks was in the Hazara division in northwest of Muzaffarabad.


Source: Daily Times

DIL Tent & Blanket Drive Temporarily Suspended

Following is an ugent message sent to us by the relief coordinators at YourDIL (Development In Literacy):

All collections have been temporarily suspended while the bottleneck of relief aid supplies is transported to the affected areas in Pakistan. Do not drop off any further items at DIL collection points until further notice. After such a large response the past few weeks, all cargo holds are filled with enough items to fly out for the next month. Please help us spread the word that the Developments in Literacy (DIL) Tent & Blanket drive has been temporarily suspended due to a large backlog of materials to be shipped. We will update the site as soon as the program is resumed and sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this might cause.

Scenic Devli village reduced to ruins

The killer earthquake of Oct 8 claimed 62 lives and flattened all 400 homes in the village of Devli, 65 kilometres to the north-east of Mansehra town. Those who survived the quake have been forced to live in the open sky. Most of those who died were women and children. Eight men also perished in the quake. Besides the village of Devli, the number of dead and injured in the adjoining villages of Nararban, Chinarkot, Sair, Chingari, Doudpat, Jabbar, Kairi, Lakhara, Pakha, Kund and Phalaila is more than 300.

“We are in an extremely difficult situation,” says Syed Farman Shah, headmaster of the government high school, in Devli. “We have nothing left”.

“The earthquake razed our houses to the ground, killed scores of our relatives and family members, destroyed our crops and cattle, cracked our mountains and polluted our sweet water fountains,” Mr Shah said.

Despite that the villagers have vowed not to move out from Devli to the newly created tent villages. “After all, we have our survived kin and family members, the forest and agriculture land, our cattle, the means of our livelihood, the graves of our ancestors in Devli village,” Mr Shah said. Most of all they are reluctant to go because they are uncomfortable with the idea of their veiled women staying in a tent village. The buildings of the basic health unit, the government high school, middle school and both primary schools for boys and girls in Devli collapsed following the quake. However, the schoolchildren were fortunate enough to be saved from coming under the debris. Read More....


Source: Dawn

Free Transportation of Relief Goods

The National Logistic Corporation (NLC) has announced free transportation of relief goods from its staging sections at Karachi, Hyderabad, (Khairpur, Sukhur), Bahawalpur, Multan, Lahore and Gujranwala untill Mansehra (Shankiari). People/Organizations who wish to donate items like blankets, tents, cloths, material for coffin and dry food items etc are requested to contact NLC's staging s