Relief efforts continue in response to the massive Oct. 8 earthquake in Pakistan, with millions of dollars needed for immediate recovery of affected areas.
The 7.6-magnitude quake, the largest in the country’s history, left almost 50,000 dead and more than 65,000 in need of aid, according to the Embassy of Pakistan in Washington, D.C.
“The United Nations has appealed for $312 million for immediate quake relief including shelter, food, health care, water and sanitation,” Samina Qureschi, president of the Pakistani Student Association at Mississippi State University, said.
“To date, it has received $43 million in contributions and $43 million in pledges, which represents about 27 percent of the amount needed,” she said.
This $312 million figure is just an estimate, and Qureschi emphasized that the amount is for immediate relief, not long term, so more may be needed.
The Pakistani Student Association is doing its part to send relief back home. “We arranged a bake sale in front of The Union on Thursday to raise money for earthquake relief in Pakistan,” Qureschi said. “All of the Pakistani students spent money from their pocket. We raised about $700, which is pretty good amount for this one-day effort.”
The PSA is planning several more fundraising activities for the near future. At the next fundraising effort, the group will try to explain to students the extent of the damage the earthquake caused.
“We will show different video clips covering interviews of common people there and their need,” Qureschi said. “Because at least half a million people in Pakistani Kashmir are still out of reach, the purpose is to tell about their basic needs and emotional situation at this moment.”
The situation in Pakistan has drawn international attention, with over 35 countries pledging aid to the relief efforts.
The United States has pledged an initial amount of $50 million, according to a White House statement.
“Our initial deployments of assistance are under way, and we stand ready to provide additional assistance as needed,” President George W. Bush said. “My thoughts and prayers are with those affected by this horrible tragedy.”
The Pakistani embassy also reported that more than 3.3 million people have been rendered homeless, a staggering figure as a harsh Himalayan winter approaches.
“From here, it’s very difficult to picture the exact situation there,” Qureschi, whose family and friends were not harmed by the earthquake, said. “It is really difficult for an American to imagine a routine life in the mountains of Himalayas, Kashmir, where there are thousands of isolated villages without all the luxuries of life.”
The average daily temperature in the Pakistani capital of Islamabad is 13 degrees in winter. Snow doesn’t fall regularly in low-lying regions, but areas close to the mountains experience the harshest winters of all.
Those without proper shelter during the approaching cold weather will be at risk for diseases, according to the World Health Organization.
“People crowded together in the cold, with poor water and inadequate sanitation, risk pneumonia, water-borne diarrhoeal diseases including cholera, as well as diseases and infections such as tetanus, malaria and measles,” the WHO said in a printed statement.
The cold weather is not the only obstacle the earthquake victims face.
More than $5 billion in damage occurred to infrastructure, including damage to 8,000 schools, 26 hospitals and 600 medical clinics, which would have been essential to recovery efforts in the mountainous country.
The most pressing issue now, Qureschi said, is providing supplies to the devastated country.
“The urgent requirement at this moment is of tents, blankets and medicines. Students can help to collect medicines, medical equipment and shelter supplies,” she said.
Supplies and money can be donated to the PSA, the Red Cross and other relief organizations. Supplies can be sent to Pakistan through the Pakistan International Airline free of charge, Qureschi said.
“We have to fulfill our humanitarian duties from the short term to the long term, from infrastructure to housing, from rescuing to rehabilitation,” she said.
One of the most important issues Americans should understand is that no donation is too small.
“One dollar donated here can feed a medium size family there at one time. In this way even a small contribution matters a lot,” Qureschi said.