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Red Cross, Red Crescent Relief Teams Work around the Clock as Winter Sets In
Arzu Ozsoy, Special to RedCross.org, Courtesy of the IFRC
Tuesday, December 13, 2005 — BATA KUNDI, Pakistan – “It was severe, every single building collapsed in our little town,” said Ejaz Ahmed Khan, a 52-year-old Pakistan Red Crescent volunteer from the Harripur branch.
Ejaz Ahmed Khan, a 52-year-old Pakistan Red Crescent volunteer supporting the relief operation in Bata Kundi, Pakistan.
(Photo Credit: Courtesy of the IFRC)
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On Oct. 8, an hour after the disaster, he rushed to the mosque of a nearby town, where people were praying in silence. He made a public appeal to the people there and organized the community leaders to get together and help the others in need.
“In the early stages of the earthquake everybody was in shock,” Khan recalled. “There was an eerie silence in the mosque. They sat desperately praying. I saw the hardiest of men crying like children. I reached out to them and appealed to the community leaders and other individuals in the town to start working to save lives.”
With eight years of experience as a volunteer coordinator, Ahmed Khan was able to organize over a hundred people within a few hours.
“We mobilized them to search and rescue those people that were trapped under the rubble,” he said. “At the same time we started to collect blankets, clothes and food from the community. Within those first critical hours we gave all we could to those most desperately in need. Time was running out and the night was fast approaching. As we were the only ones on the ground before the others arrived, we had to react immediately and efficiently.”
“The sense of community was overwhelming. The housewives were our volunteer relief distributors and worked with us tirelessly during the first couple of days. We soon started to dispatch the injured people to the nearby hospitals in Abbottabad and Mansehra. The sheer number of injured was beyond belief,” said Khan.
Jim Stevenson, a relief delegate from the American Red Cross leading the air operation in Bata Kundi, Pakistan. (Photo Credit: Courntesy of the IFRC)
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Although the hectic first month of the disaster is over, Ahmed Khan still works around the clock.
He is now with the International Federation’s Regional Disaster Response Teams (RDRTs) conducting the “needs assessment” in the mountainous areas where relief is only just arriving.
Jim Stevenson, the relief delegate leading the air operation explained that “we are using UN helicopters to drop our specially trained and fully equipped teams into rugged mountain areas to carry out assessments and relief distributions.”
“The teams hike up to 20 km (12.4 miles) a day from village to village where they often spend the night. They are composed of volunteers from Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies from Malaysia, Laos, Philippines and Pakistan. Relief supplies are then quickly flown in for the teams to hand them over to village councils or elders who are the community leaders. It’s a challenging task and time is of the essence as winter sets in. Thousands of people are scattered throughout hundreds of villages.”
“As tough as these hardy and proud people are, the tears in the eyes of their weathered faces convey their true feelings and inspire us to continue our efforts,” said Jim Stevenson, the American Red Cross relief delegate in Bata Kundi, Pakistan.
(Photo Credit: Courtesy of IFRC)
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The relief air operations are distributing shelter and relief items such as tents, blankets, tarpaulins, water containers and hygiene kits. In addition, specially developed winterized tents with wood or kerosene stoves and repair tool kits for damaged homes will be delivered very soon.
Before going to another air operation with the newly assigned RDRTs, Stevenson made his final statement.
“As tough as these hardy and proud people are, the tears in the eyes of their weathered faces convey their true feelings and inspire us to continue our efforts.”
This article, which was originally published on Nov. 25, 2005, appears courtesy of the International Federation of Red Cross/Red Crescent Societies.
A Note Regarding In-Kind Donations
Please remember that the American Red Cross is not able to accept small, individual donations or collections of items for emergency relief supplies. The decision to transport bulk donations from the U.S. is based solely on the needs identified by the relief operation and the availability of local resources. If you represent a company wishing to offer supplies in bulk, please contact your local Red Cross chapter.
You can help the victims of countless crises around the world each year, crises like the Myanmar Cyclone and China Earthquake, by making a financial gift to the American Red Cross International Response Fund, which will provide immediate relief and long-term support through supplies, technical assistance and other support to help those in need. The American Red Cross honors donor intent. If you wish to designate your donation to a specific disaster please do so at the time of your donation by either contacting 1-800-HELP NOW or 1-800-257-7575 (Spanish), or mailing your donation with the designation to the American Red Cross, P.O. Box 37243, Washington, D.C. 20013 or to your local American Red Cross chapter. Internet users can make a secure online contribution by visiting www.redcross.org.
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