Balakot earthquake visit Report.. (lengthy)

[ehsankiani]

This is what my brother wrote about our trip..

Dear Sir/Madam,

Last week I sent out an email requesting assistance for relief efforts for the South Asia Earthquake, the response to which encouraged and enabled a small team of volunteers to attempt a small two day relief effort to Balakot with the support of the KASB Foundation. I would like to provide a snapshot of the experience, aiming to present some ideas on how we can help in trying to cope with the situation at hand. While the observations and experiences are specific to Balakot Town (the corridor to the Kaghan Valley covering around 20-30% of the worst hit area) and while the situation in other areas (Kashmir, Siran and and Batgram etc.) may be different, I do feel that they would be generally representative of the overall challenges.



Balakot – The Scouting Trip

A small group of volunteers (5 young doctors and around 4 helpers) and Myself left Islamabad for Balakot on morning of Saturday, October 15 after collecting a handful of relief equipment (medicines and tents). With our two 4x4 vehicles and a Shahzore pickup truck took us four and a half hours to reach Balakot. The drive was very normal and easy as the road until Balakot is fully intact, there were no security issues and there was active monitoring by the Motorway and local Police.



As we approached Balakot, there were only a few signs of damage (some demolished houses, landslides on the mountains etc) which started mainly around 5 kms before the town. Nothing prepared us for the scale of the damage at the town, where virtually 95% of the buildings have been reduced to rubble and upto 70% of the population is feared to be dead and trapped. The road beyond Balakot (which was the best and most scenic roads in the country) is now non-existent with huge landslides and large sections torn away. Some of the main towns up the road have also been completely destroyed (Kawai, Kaghan and Paras etc). We were told that Kaghan town (which was 45 minutes on up the road) now is a tough 3 days walk away. For various reasons, we could only spend two days there and got back Sunday night.



The Situation

The good part is that the atmosphere in Balakot is generally calm, there are no security hazards and the local people are demonstrating tremendous composure and resilience. Furthermore things appear to be improving by the day, with more help arriving (relief goods, Army units, medical teams, volunteers etc) and better coordination. I was assured by the Doctors that there are no immediate health hazards, as long as one takes basic precautions like using bottled water. That’s about it for the good part.

§ The scale of the tragedy and the full picture of the situation still cannot be ascertained, as no one has reliable information let alone the full picture. A UN team assessed that this is much bigger than the Tsunami, our gut feel was that we are at the tip of the iceburg and the real effort is just starting.

§ There is an acute shortage of doctors and medical support. Though we saw French Rescue and Polish Medical teams camped there and small Malaysian and Korean teams had just arrived…. one UNICEF volunteer team went into the valley and there are Army medical teams operating in the valley…. we were repeatedly told by locals that no one has reached their villages (some in the immediate vicinity of Balakot) and surely the towns and villages further up (Kaghan in particular) had not gotten any significant medical help.

§ The medical teams are mainly based in Balakot and only treat patients which come to them either through helicopter drops or carried by the locals on beds and piggy-backs. The helicopter operations appear to be limited, subject to weather conditions and at times distracted by movement of VIPs (and also celebrity artists)

§ It seemed that within the city and in the immediate vicinity the injured appear to have been treated….. but every-time we told ourselves that, we saw new patients being carried in across the hills….and the numbers were not decreasing (even after seven days).

§ There is an alarming need for tents and people are very desperate for even plastic sheets which can help them create temporary shelters. We had people literally begging us to give them tents, plastics, something or anything for shelter (it was very painful to deal with these requests with people with families out in the rain for a week)

§ The Army and some NGOs are distributing tents but as yet even the immediate vicinity has not been covered and there are long long ques at distribution points….. The remote villages and main towns in the valley have received no tents as yet from what we understood.

§ There are a number of NGOs working on the ground, most of which need to shift their focus away from throwing things to people out in the city to focusing on the remote areas. It appeared that the people who are running around collecting stuff have now piles of relief goods while others have nothing. To be they either need to have door to door delivery or careful screening (which we found to be painfully difficult at times).

§ From what we saw and heard, EDHI Foundation and the religious party NGOs (JI, JUI etc) were doing genuine work. They have sent teams up into valley and are also helping and coordinating in clearing the rubble and burying dead bodies.

§ the Army is the only body who at have an act (even though it may just be coming together and that too slowly). The appointment of Commanders for each Area and holding of coordination meeting with all NGOs (both done in last two days) was the need of the hour and will hopefully assist in coordination and implementation.

§ We did not come across any effective representation of the Local, Provincial or the Federal Government. The only exception was the Motorway Police and a fumigation unit which was spraying some potent disinfectant across the town.

§ Sadly enough, we did not come across any on-the-ground official representation from the corporate sector…even though from the news papers and word-of-mouth reports one would expect to see some of the big names there… most of which are probably the only ones capable of financially and physically making a difference (by themselves if not collectively).



What little we achieved…

The medical team assisted the local Army medical unit in treating patients at the make shift hospital and made trips around the city to treat patients at their homes. We were able to set up a small base/medical camp, thanks to cooperation of the Pakistan Army field ambulance unit. The camp has a decent supply of basic medical equipment (basic medicines, advanced antibiotics, plasters, syringes etc.) and is currently manned by one doctor and two helpers. The camp is being used to coordinate relief efforts in and around Balakot with supplies being sent every alternate day. We distributed around 30 tents to selected deserving locals, along with some clothes, food and blankets etc.



What we could not manage was to take the medical team up into the valley, despite repeated efforts. On Sunday, the medical team were to be dropped by helicopter at a forward Army camp, however limited helicopter availability due to bad weather and a helicopter crash in the morning did not allow us the opportunity. On account of the tricky weather, lack of proper gear and logistical support despite our emotions we could not take on the challenging prospect of entering the valley on foot.



What we felt is needed…

In light of our limited experience on the two day scouting trip and observations of other activities around us, were able to come off with the following thoughts for immediate and future action through the KASB Foundation platform (realizing that not everything is possible, but nothing is impossible either):

§ Volunteers - Appeal for volunteers (Doctors, medical and general staff at all levels) to come forward for medical and general relief efforts

§ Tents - Make shift tents to be prepared through plastic/parachute materials available. We were able to find some sources in Rawalpindi at PKR 1800-2000 per piece.

§ Care Packs - Preparation of Survival/Care Packs consisting of 1 blanket, 1 plastic sheet, light-weight high-energy foods.

§ Mobile Teams - Putting together self sustaining mobile teams of 5 to 10 people with 1 to 2 doctors to go into the valley. Member should be equipped with a waterproof jackets, sleeping bags, tents, torches and food supply for 3/5 days. The team could engage volunteers/locals/labourers to assist carrying medical and relief equipment.

§ Forward Camps - Movement of teams to be coordination with the Army commanders and focused on setting up of forward camps around existing Army locations as focal points for relief efforts. (key target locations Kawai and Kaghan)

§ Airdrops - Tents and Care Packs to be provided directly to the Army helicopter units for delivery and distribution to remote locations.

§ Labour Engagement – Engagement and basic training of daily wage laborers based in Rawalpindi, Peshawar, Abbotabad, Mansehra etc. to carry relief goods and securing supply chains to forward locations

§ Tent Sourcing – Fast Track Efforts to source tents in China, Iran, India etc and speedy delivery possibly through courier

§ Corporate Effort– Approach large corporates (public and private sector) for initiation of on-the-ground relief efforts by the companies themselves. Focus on companies with field and logistics experience, management expertise, adequate manpower and where possible in-house medical teams.



In the end…

In the end, we would like to thank the people who contributed in such a timely manner for our humble effort and all the people who physically, emotionally and spiritually supported us (even though it would be enough to mention the prayers that we heard on the spot from people walking away with tents). I would here particularly thank all the people from abroad for their heart felt support, payers and encouragement, without which probably we would not have gotten past our doorsteps. Your continued support would be essential in future as well.



Having said that, I would like to express my humble view to all my fellow Pakistanis that although this is an international catastrophe which should supposedly be handles by the Government, the nature and scale of the problem is such that any/all practical and effective solutions will essentially be local ones, achieved through individual efforts. We would be as delusional placing reliance completely on foreign support and the Government/Army’s efforts as we would be in asking for a divine intervention. They say God only helps those who help themselves. Let it not be said tomorrow that we were incapable of seeking His help, lets make sure we do today what we can.



Kindly let me know if anyone is interested in volunteering or assisting in our ongoing relief efforts, or can assist us in putting us in touch with people who would like to volunteer. Please also feel free to send me your thoughts, suggestions and views. Many thanks for listening.



Best Regards,



Suhaib Masud Kiani

Regional Manager – North

KASB Investment Banking

Razia Sharif Plaza, 90-91 Jinnah Avenue

Islamabad-Pakistan

Tel: +92-51-2272842; 111 222 000, Ext 221

Cell: +92-333-5114600

[TEX]

Wow.

[ehsankiani]

The fumigation being done..
Ehsan