Earthquake 2015

HAI-Pak relief operation in District Dir, KPK, goes on!

District Dir, KPK, is among the areas which were badly affected by the earthquake jolting various parts of Pakistan on October 26.

Emergency Response Team (ERT) of HAI-Pak conducted a rapid assessment of the two villages of the district namely Jabba Gai and Meena. The village Jabba Gai has a total population of 130 Households with 1,030 people. Around 30 houses were partially or fully damaged by the quake, rendering a large number of people homeless.



The HAI-Pak has so far distributed food bags, weighing 20 kg apiece, in the two villages to benefit as many as 700 most deserving people. The bags comprised essential food items such as rice, sugar, cooking oil, pulses and tea.

The HAI-Pak is committed to reach to the deserving people and expresses its profound thanks to its partners and donors for their support to make it possible


50 High quality emergency tents distributed among affectees

After a through damage assessment, the HAI-Pak has selected Zarkhela and Chungai villages of UC Shamozai for relief and rehabilitation intervention. A large number of houses were either partially or fully damaged in the incident in the two villages, forcing the inhabitants to live in the open sky in extremely unfriendly weather conditions.



In the first leg of a multi-pronged operation, the HAI-Pak distributed 50 high quality emergency tents among the affectees whose houses were destroyed completely in the tragedy, rendering the inmates at the mercy of circumstances.

In the second phase, those would also be compensated whose houses though withstood the tremors but are no more fit for accommodation. In close coordination with its partners and donors, the HAI-Pak is in the process of developing a long term program for the rehabilitation of the affectees of the quake in the said villages.



When everyone ran for life, except him

While every mortal ran helter skelter to escape the icy hands of death, he kept supplicating all alone in his dark, murky room. Each tremor of the quake made him feel more and more lonely and helpless as he possessed neither the physical power nor the will to rush to a safer place.

Badshah Wazir, 95, is living all alone in his one room mud house at Chungai, union council Shamozai. He lost his only son two years back at the hands of Taliban. It was the most fatal blow to him after the death of his wife several years ago.



"I live all alone in this single room house. I've no relations in the area and am looked after by my neighbors and certain God-fearing persons. When the quake hit the area, everyone ran to safer places but I had no option, except to hold tight the shaking walls of my room and supplicate".

His house has certainly withstood the quake but developed visible cracks, making it even more horrible and sickening. "I spent last two nights at this room fearing it shall cave in anytime. But there was no other option at all. My neighbors provided me food but perhaps no one considered me worthy of shifting to a safer place".

The HAI provided Wazir Baba an emergency tent to get out of the dungeon. The peace and calmness writing large at his face at the moment made everyone around immensely amused. Taking care of people like him is our moral, social and religious duty. Ordeals such as quakes only remind us not to forget, let alone abandon, them under any circumstances. In fact they are the easiest route to win the blessings of Almighty Allah.



The ordeal of Qaymat Gul and his family

With every tremor of the quake jolting the earth on October 26, he felt something tearing him apart. His mind immediately raced back to his flesh and bones, living at mud houses. There is no escape to destiny but sometime being away from your family simply augments your pain and grief.

Qayamat Gul, 65, was in the border town of neighboring Afghanistan when the powerful quake struck the region. It's a routine matter for the people of tribal areas to cross over the border for trade and business purpose but that day he cursed himself to be away from his home.

"I simply felt numbed and thunder struck at the beginning. However, after the initial tremors, I managed to re-gather myself and that was perhaps the most difficult moment for me. My mind went back to my family. Imagine 27 people of a well-knit family unit living in a couple of mud houses, always as vulnerable as a house of cards---- I felt as if I 'd never be able to see them alive again."



"Next day when I reached back to my home at Dir, I simply collapsed for a while. All the houses belonging to my family were flatten to the ground. I thought everyone inside was history now. To my surprise, everyone was safe as the "buildings" had successfully withstood the first few jolts, allowing the inmates to escape".

"However, the quake took away my aging mother from me. She was struck dead by falling bricks. Seeing my mama meeting such a tragic end, I fell unconscious...I was told that she kept inquiring about me till her last breath".

We passed the next night under the open sky. Just imagine how difficult it must have been for 27 people to spend the time while consoling each other as everyone was heartbroken after the death of Amma

Qayamat and his family are today living under tents at the moment with no guaranteed supply of food and medical aid. The children have already caught common cold and coughing all the time due to unfriendly weather.

The women folk in particular are faced with several problems, as local customs and tradition do not allow them to go out of their place even to answer the call of nature. Smell of human excretion is gradually becoming unbearable, forcing the elders such as Qayamat to ask, "is there any way out to this hell? Earthquake may not have killed us but the situation we are in at the moment is simply heart breaking. Please don't leave us in a lurch."



Racing against the time!

The Human Appeal International, Pakistan (HAI-Pak) distributes 50 more emergency tents to the affectees of earthquake at union council Zarkhela, Swat.

The beneficiaries of the initiative included widows, disabled, jobless and elderly people.



The beneficiaries would also receive food bags containing essential food items this week.

The HAI-Pak is gearing up its activities to provide relief items to the affectees before the snowfall in the area.




Aamir Mumtaz of HAI-Pak digs into the life of a 10-year old orphan

Waiting anxiously for his turn to receive the relief package it was found Hamza, 10 Years old Orphan whose father is one of the martyrs of terrorist attacks in Swat, KPK.

After helping him receiving the aid HAI representative took him home to know more about his family. With the eyes brightened up with the joy Hamza started telling his story on the way. "I am living with my mother, younger brother & bhabhi. My father was killed in terrorists' attacks in Swat. We don't have home now as it is damaged in the recent earthquake" said Hamza.

"We are living with our relatives now. My elder brother used to support us after the death of our father but he drowned in nearby river catching fish one day" he explained & rushed towards his mother showing him the blanket he had in his hand.



After the death of his father and elder brother, Hamza and his family were left with the never ending miseries & cravings. Being dependent on their relatives their lives were full of hardships, having no means to education or income. But it was not the end & their adversities were not they just had at the moment. October 26th Earthquake casted out of their remaining leaving their home badly damaged.

Providing them with the one month food (ration), beddings, cooking utensils HAI has been able to relieve their suffering to some possible extent but the real worries of upcoming winter are still there. It's not just the case of one family but there are thousands of others who need shelters & winterization packages to avoid the severities of upcoming winter.