Page 21 - DIVA_No.23_2006

IOM AIMS HIGH

in Pakistan Earth uake Relief

By Chris Lom, IOM Islamabad

Photo: A community waiting for help high up in the Kaghan valley.
(Photo: © Brian Kelly / TOM, 2005)

relief items, and an already distributed by improving high peaks, inter-agency coordi-
On 8 October, an their insulation," says TOM head nation that establishes which
appeal for US 60.5 mil-
earthquake measuring lion to fund these activi- of operations, Steven Lennon. humanitarian agency is deliver-
ing what, where and to whom
7.6 on the Richter ties. One month into the operation, has become a crucial element in
struck
scale international agencies and the the race to deliver the right aid to
Afghanistan, In the earthquake-shattered high Pakistan government are strug- the right people in the right loca-
valleys of Pakistan-administered gling to meet the logistical tions. For that reason, "clusters"
northern India and
Kashmir and North-West equivalent of a perfect storm - have been formed for each sector
Pakistan, the latter the Frontier Province, IOM teams the challenge of delivering relief including emergency shelter,
worst hit of the three. In have a double role - coordinat- to remote high altitude villages health, water and sanitation and
Pakistan, more than ing the emergency shelter relief cut off by landslides and expect- logistics, each with a lead
efforts of other agencies and ing heavy snowfalls by early agency, and which gather all
73,000 people were
delivering the tents and shelter December. those working in any one field so
killed, another 70,000 repair kits that will help home- that information can be shared
injured and more than 3 less fam-ilies survive the Despite intensive road clearing and oper-ations coordinated.
million affected. tOM Himalayan winter. efforts by the Pakistan military,
helicopters are now central to the "As the lead agency of the
has responded with a
"We start high and work down. relief oper-ation. But in an oper- Emergency Shelter Cluster, our
six-month emergency Our priorities in descending ation that has received only 15 job is to get accurate data from
humanitarian operation order are getting emergency per cent of US$ 550 million UN the field, collate it and dissemi-
there encompassing the shelter materials to people in Flash Appeal, the huge cost of nate it at high speed so it can be
inaccessible valleys above 5,000 keeping them airborne means used equally by agencies on the
provision of emergency
ft., delivering tents to people at that their deployment is continu- ground and government policy-
shelter, health assistance lower altitudes, providing warm ally under threat. makers," says TOM Regional
and surface transport clothing and blankets, and win- Representative in Pakistan,
for the distribution of terizing non-winterized tents With snow already capping the Hassan Abdel Moneim Mostafa.
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