11 October 2005

Action Against Hunger responds to earthquake in South Asia

In response to the devastating earthquake in South Asia, the international aid organisation Action Against Hunger announced today that it will deliver relief aid to the victims of the South Asia earthquake. Action Against Hunger will fly in 30 tons of food aid and water provision supplies this week and send in a response team of water, sanitation and food security experts.

Cathy Skoula, Director of Action Against Hunger USA, stated: “In many of the places affected by the earthquake, 80-90% of the houses have been destroyed, forcing people to sleep outside, exposed to winter temperatures and with no food, water or electricity. We must respond quickly and effectively to prevent this tragedy from worsening.”

The 7.6 magnitude earthquake, centred outside of Muzaffarabad, approximately 50 miles from Islamabad, killed at least 30.000 people and devastated villages across Pakistan, Afghanistan and India. The number of people left without adequate food, water and shelter by the quake remains unknown, but the UN estimates that 4 million people have been affected, 1 million seriously. The needs of the population are immense, including tents, blankets, food and drinking water. According to Action Against Hunger’s logistics coordinator Franck Gressard, “there’s nothing left.”

Action Against Hunger’s initial response will focus on ensuring that survivors of the earthquake have adequate supplies of food aid and drinking water, with a re-assessment of the needs of the survivors after the most serious effects of the earthquake have passed. Action Against Hunger will also send a cargo plane on Friday with 30 tons of freight, including dry rations to respond to the nutritional needs of the population, non-food items such as tents, blankets, and cooking equipment, and equipment for the treatment, transport, and distribution of water.

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Action Against Hunger has been in Afghanistan since 1995 and had an active program in Pakistan from 2002 to 2004, focused primarily on water and sanitation needs of refugees along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border.

Action Against Hunger is currently assisting in areas affected by the earthquake with emergency airplane deliveries of food for distribution, nutritional BP5 biscuits, water and sanitation equipment, and other nonfood items, as well as emergency water and sanitation programmes (distributions of clean water followed by rehabilitation of destroyed water systems and other infrastructure).

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