Snow, rain bring gloom to earthquake survivors
Bureau Report

MUZAFFARABAD—The devastated October 8 arthquake zone got its first harsh winter weather on Sunday, with rain and snow bringing relief operations to a halt, and gloom to survivors. Up to 8 inches of snow fell in some high-altitude areas and up to 1.2 inches (32 mm) of rain drenched some lower areas, the Meteorological Department said. “Flights are off for today,” said a spokesman for the UN World Food Programme in Muzaffarabad, the capital of Pakistani Kashmir. An International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) official said their air and road operations had also been called off.
The October 8 earthquake killed more than 73,000 people, most of them in the Pakistani Himalayas. A race against time is on to ensure hundreds of thousands of homeless survivors are given adequate shelter and enough food to see them through a bitter winter. If not, disease could sweep through cold, poorly nourished survivors, causing a second wave of death, aid officials say. Snow was falling in the village of Pieer Chanasi on Sunday afternoon and residents were grim. “We’re in trouble. Our children and animals are also in trouble,” said Tanvir Naqvi. “The temperature is dropping and a tent is not enough”. Fresh landslides, apparently triggered by the rain, disrupted traffic on the road up to the village, which was under about 2 inches of snow.
The authorities hope people in high-altitude settlements will come down to tent camps on valley floors for the winter, but most people have chosen to stick it out at their ruined homes. Aid officials are making plans in case bad weather sends a flood of people down into unsanitary and over-crowded tent camps in Muzaffarabad and other towns. The ICRC official said good weather up to now meant aid deliveries were slightly ahead of schedule, but prolonged bad weather would be a worry. “We have been very lucky — or the survivors have — that we’ve been able to fly for a month without interruption,” said Pauli Immonen, in charge of ICRC air operations.
A weather official said 8 inches of snow had fallen in the Naran area and 7 in the Kaghan Valley, both in North West Frontier Province. An inch fell in the hill resort of Murree to the north of Islamabad. The temperature in Muzaffarabad dropped to a low of four degrees Celsius (39 Fahrenheit) on Saturday night.
ISPR adds: Relief and reconstruction activities continued in earthquake hit areas of Azad Kashmir and NWFP. Pakistan Army Engineers alongwith NGOs and workers are round the clock busy in construction of shelters with the help of CGI sheets. As many as 9532 shelters have so far constructed in various areas of Azad Kashmir and NWFP where 8 October earthquake caused havoc while 3197 sheters are under construction in these areas. Over 800 volunteers from various areas of Pakistan have reached in these affected areas to help and assist the local in construction of their abodes.
During last twenty four hours 937 tents and 34612 blankets alongwith other relief items were received from various friendly countries at Chaklala Air Base. So far 501296 tents received from all channels have been dispatched to earthquake affected areas. These tents are being issued to the people and pitched in the tent villages where thousands of displaced people have been accommodated. As many as 10638 tents have been pitched in various tent villages in affected areas of NWFP and Azad Kashmir where more that 56000 displaced people are residing. Meanwhile, disbursement of compensation amount continues in all affected areas. A total of 8496 million rupees have been paid to 34055 next of kins of the deceased, 6432 injured of earthquake and 197598 owners of those houses which were either badly damaged or demolished. Pakistan Army troops are assisting the civil administration in disbursement of pays.