Letter from Western India: Part II

Written by Christina Ward, Staff Writer, RedCross.rog

Entire villages were destroyed by the earthquake.

BHUJ, India, January 31, 2001 — After five excruciating days, international relief agencies are finally able to get supplies and personnel to Bhuj, the city hardest hit by the recent 7.9 magnitude earthquake that rocked western India Jan. 26. The next challenge is distribution: The city is little more than rows of crumbling buildings and piles of rock and cement. Roads are severely damaged, and vehicles to deliver supplies are scarce. As relief workers scramble to bring water and supplies to thousands of homeless families, doctors are racing to help the injured and save lives. Most patients are receiving treatment at temporary field hospitals, makeshift facilities hastily set up after the central Bhuj hospital was destroyed in the quake.

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Socieities, with the help of other national Red Cross societies like the American Red Cross, sent workers, doctors, money and supplies to Bhuj. The organization began distribution Tuesday (Jan. 30) of the first consignment of relief supplies that arrived in Bhuj late Monday night.

Several strong aftershocks have struck the region and the roads are lined with frightened, confused families, huddled around small fires. Others are trying to escape the chaos and devastation; a steady stream of trucks are leaving Bhuj, loaded with whatever furniture and personal effects residents have been able to salvage from their destroyed homes. While many are leaving, anxious relatives are arriving from other parts of the state in search of their families, adding to the confusion.

Led by Dr. Morbia, Secretary of the Bhuj branch of the Indian Red Cross, a team of international Red Cross delegates and local volunteers began distributing the relief supplies. Provisions including wool blankets and plastic sheeting were given to hundreds of needy people who have camped out in the open air for the past four days.

The Red Cross is distributing aid to earthquake survivors.

The first stop was a makeshift camp just outside of town where about 1,200 Bhuj residents now live after the quake severely damaged or destroyed their homes. Under several large tents, women and children gathered as the Red Cross truck arrived. Many of the camp's men were away; they spend the daylight hours back in Bhuj, guarding their damaged homes and shops from looters.

One camp resident, Brijen Shah, helped the team unload the supplies. "I was in my home when the quake started, but I didn't have time to run out," he said. "My wife is 8 and a half months pregnant, and I had to stay with her." Fortunately, Shah's house did not collapse and he, his wife and his unborn child escaped unharmed.

Other camp residents had more tragic tales of the hours and days after the quake, before help could arrive. "Inside the old city of Bhuj, I heard so many voices under the buildings," said one young man. "They cried, 'Help me, help me,' but we could not reach them." The old city was home to almost 70,000 people. It now lies destroyed and deserted, apart from a few residents who venture back to sift through the rubble for their belongings amid an overpowering stench of decaying bodies.

The Red Cross is distributing aid to earthquake survivors.

After dropping off much-needed supplies at the first camp, the Red Cross relief truck slowly made its way to Kali Talavadi, a small farming village about 10 km outside of town. Every home in the village of 1,700 is now uninhabitable, and the town has been reduced to a jumbled mass of concrete and debris. Kali Talavadi residents erected a community camp for themselves on the outskirts of the flattened village.

Walking through the remains of the village, residents explained to Dr. Morbia that despite the total destruction, many of the people were able to escape the earthquake unharmed. Fortunately, most of the children were outside at the time of the quake, participating in an open-air Republic Day celebration near the village school. Others barely had time to run out of their tiny homes and into the street before the walls caved in. In all, 10 villagers were killed and 25 were injured.

As boxes of blankets and tarpaulins were unloaded, children played in the open air, running and climbing among the piles of rocks that once made up their village while grownups contemplate an uncertain future.

"For now, they will live outside and cook group meals for each other, of rice and dahl. Much later, they will build a new village. But that will take time and money." explained Dr. S.P. Budhbhatti, a physician and member of the Indian Red Cross. "These are simple farming families."