US pledges long term support for reconstruction of quake-hit areas
Lauds Pak-India initiative to allow Kashmiris across LoC to help masses at AJK
By Zulfiqar Ahmed

RAWALPINDI—Ryan C Crocker on Wednesday welcomed Pak- India decision to allow Kashmiris from across the Line of Control (LoC) to help people in Azad Kashmir and assured its long-term support in the reconstruction of quake-hit areas.
Addressing a press conference on Wednesday at Chaklala Air base, he said that his country appreciated the decision as it would boost the people living on both sides of the LoC to exchange the burden in the wake of October 8 earthquake. "It is a very good gesture and we all like good things coming out from the disaster", he said.
Crocker said US has so far provide 19 helicopters and over 332 helicopter sorties had already reached in Muzaffarabad, Balakot, Jabori, Kaghan, Mansehra, Batagram,, Dagar, Neelum and Jehlum vallies. We have also provide over 400 emergency management personnel, 569 tonnes relief supplies which include shelter materials for 67,000 people, including winterized tents and durable plastic sheets and blankets for about 15000 people, he said. It has also provided mobile water treatment units to supply safe drinking water, water containers with drinking water storage capacity for 8 communities. 101,760 halal meals 10 emergency health kits with medical supplies. 32 tonnes of medical supplies, including bandages, splints, surgical supplies, drugs, IV's, medical blankets. A forward deployable preventive medicine unit to focus on health and sanitation. A field hospital to be deployed to Muzaffarabad, to eventually contain an advanced trauma life support and operating room, with specialties in paediatrics, orthopaedics and general surgery and emergency medical care, he informed.
The US govt has also provided reconstruction equipments and heavy tools for repairing damaged roads. 13 dump trucks, 3 bulldozers, 3 front-end loading vehicles, 2 cargo trucks, two tractor loaders and backhoes, one forklift, one road grader, one generator and cement saws etc. The Ambassador highly appreciated the rescue operation pilots and said they were doing a great job to help the affected people.
Stressing the need for more helicopters, he said 12 choppers of the US State Department already assist the relief efforts and said 12 more helicopters will join the relief operations in quake-hit areas of Pakistan. 1900 casualties have been brought back to Islamabad and Rawalpindi. "We have dropped relief goods in quake hit-areas and brought back 1900 seriously wounded to Islamabad", he added.