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Thousands of Homeless Survivors Suffer in Freezing Cold Due to Pakistan Earthquake
Survivors Sleeping in the Open with Small Children Receive Shelter Kits, Blankets, and Sleeping Bags
WESTPORT, Conn. (Oct. 30, 2008) — Save the Children staff members in Pakistan are moving quickly to assist children and families affected by an earthquake that struck Wednesday in southwestern Pakistan, killing more than 200 people and leaving 15,000 homeless.
The agency has been working in the affected areas of Pakistan for over 20 years. The impact area is a remote mountainous region of Pakistan, approximately 3 hours drive from Quetta, the provincial capital, where Save the Children has an office.
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Children sit outside their collapsed house after an earthquake in Ziarat,Pakistan. Oct. 29, 2008. REUTERS/Rizwan Saeed. Courtesy alertnet.org. |
"Two emergency response teams have arrived in the impact area," said Ned Olney, in charge of emergency response operations for Save the Children US. "They are reporting freezing temperatures in the region, which is complicating relief efforts, with many families forced to sleep outside.”
In the worst-affected areas, Save the Children staff members report, entire villages have been leveled. In the outlying areas, where homes are damaged but not destroyed, people are afraid to enter their homes because there remains a risk of collapse due to frequent and strong earthquake aftershocks.
Thousands of earthquake survivors, including many children, spent Wednesday night sleeping in the open. Staff members report that some women were so cold that they wrapped themselves in plastic bags trying to stay warm. Unfortunately, many families, including small children, face at least one more night in the open without basic essentials like plastic sheeting, warm clothing and blankets.
Save the Children staff members are working to provide homeless families with basic necessities including tents, shelter kits, blankets, sleeping bags, plastic sheeting, cooking stoves, kitchen utensils, and hygiene kits.
Olney said that Save the Children works with children and schools in Afghan refugee camps within several hours of the earthquake site. He said initial reports were that all children in these camps were safe.
Background
Save the Children has worked in Pakistan since 1985 – first with Afghan refugees and, since 1999, directly with Pakistani children and women. We have a strong portfolio of health, education and microfinance programs. We continue to address needs of Afghan children and families who remain in Pakistan because of Afghanistan's insecurity and the lack of a viable economy in their communities.
Learn more about Save the Children's response in Pakistan.
Save the Children (www.savethechildren.org) is the leading, independent organization that creates lasting change for children in need in the United States and around the world. Save the Children USA is a member of the International Save the Children Alliance, a global network of 28 independent Save the Children organizations working to ensure the well-being and protection of children in more than 100 countries.
