South Asia earthquake 2005
Averting a second disaster
With winter imminent and so many people left homeless and exposed to the elements, we worked quickly to help avert a second disaster.
Here young girls walk in the snow in the village of Kuz Ganrshal, Pakistan. Many people chose to stay close to their villages, rather than move to temporary camps.
Oxfam supported communities who stayed in the mountains with tents, blankets and other essentials.
Photo: Dan Chung/Guardian Newspapers Limited
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Reaching remote communities
A helicopter helped us to distribute aid to some of the most remote mountain villages.
Marie Blackburn (pictured) was Oxfam’s helicopter co-ordinator. She organised the loading and unloading of goods; ensuring that the weight was evenly distributed and didn’t exceed the limit of 1,200 kg.
With just a few weeks before the snows started to fall we reached thousands of survivors with life-saving aid.
Photo: Carlo Heathcote
Keeping people warm
We distributed thousands of blankets, trying to source as many as we could locally.
“It's very beautiful but very harsh here. It's winter six months a year. We invest all our savings in our houses and warm clothing. Now all that is gone.” says Tariq Aziz, Indian-administered Kashmir.
Here additional supplies of blankets and plastic sheeting are loaded in Dehli for transportation to Kashmir.
Photo: Oxfam
Providing appropriate shelter
Tents commonly used in humanitarian emergencies proved inadequate against the harsh mountain conditions. We distributed ‘winterised’ tents.
Here winterised tents are unloaded at a distribution point. They are better quality and offer more protection than ordinary tents. They have two layers of canvas and are specially treated to make them more durable.
Photo: Carlo Heathcote
Ensuring survival at high altitudes
We piloted a shelter kit enabling people to build temporary huts at high altitudes.
Good quality, winterised tents suited some places, but at higher altitudes, tents weren’t an option.
This house was built to show what could be done with the Oxfam shelter kit, which was made up of; tools, corrugated iron for roofs, bags for filling with soil, nails, plastic sheeting, and mattresses.
Photo: John Howard
Making use of local knowledge
Distributions were carried out by our partner organisation, Sungi. It has a long history of working in the affected zone.
This picture shows the vouchers given to earthquake survivors, detailing the relief items a family would receive.
Sajjeed Khan from Sungi says, “We return to the communities to make sure that people received their kits; especially the women, who don't walk down to collect the items.” (Nov 05)
Photo: Mirjam van den Berg
Preparing for more people
We responded to the immediate needs of people in camps and set up additional facilities for later arrivals.
In Pakistan at Charara Camp, local Oxfam staff (pictured) can be seen constructing a latrine.
Immediately after the disaster, we provided water and sanitation facilities, and promoted good hygiene practices.
We also set up further facilities catering for an influx of people, expected as winter progressed.
Photo: Carlo Heathcote
Promoting good health and hygiene
Oxfam Health Promoters provided advice on keeping the camps hygienic and safe.
Robina Bashir became a Health Promoter. Here she talks to a friend on her mobile. It was all she had with her when fleeing her home in the city of Muzzafarabad.
She says, “I feel overall that we are having a good, positive impact, in the camp, and with our families.” Oct 05
Photo: Lucy Davies
Continuing our work
We are helping survivors rebuild their lives as they return to their homes and communities.
A grant from Oxfam has enabled shopkeeper Mohammad Idrees Khan to make a success of his business once more, and so support himself and his remaining family.
In pictures: Rebuilding livelihoods
Photo: Oxfam
