Winter might kill thousands of quake survivors: Report
By Adnan Rafique

ISLAMABAD—British Oxfam has warned that, withthousands of earthquake survivors camped in the mountainous regions of northern Pakistan, help must arrive soon to prevent a second humanitarian catastrophe.
“With the onset of winter, thousands of people remain vulnerable,” said the Oxfam Chief Barbara Stocking, who arrived here yesterday. Oxfam is the UK branch of emergency relief organization which is supervising the charity’s earthquake response operations in northern Pakistan.
“The international community has still not responded with urgently needed resources,” said Barbara Stocking. She will tour the devastated districts around Muzaffarabad and the affected areas near Abbotabad in North West Frontier Province.
Oxfam has called for the UN to be given more resources in order to co-ordinate and bolster the relief effort. The UN is trying to scale up its operations but is hindered by lack of funding.
The UN has received less than half of the money it requested for initial response to the October earthquake, while many pledges for the second phase of reconstruction have similarly failed to materialize.
Of the $551 million requested for the UN emergency appeal, less than $230 million has reached the UN. Additionally, whereas $1.1 billion was promised for Pakistan’s reconstruction efforts, less than $800 million has materialized. Many of these pledges were in any case loans rather than grants.
Oxfam has urged donor governments to match the generosity of public donations. With winter bringing freezing temperatures, thousands may soon die unless a resource for better shelter and improved camp management arrives quickly.
The UN estimates that 3.2 million people have been affected by the disaster. More than 144,000 people have benefited from Oxfam’s water and sanitation operations, while over 127,000 have received shelter, including winterized tents and traditional bandi structures.