with non-food relief assistance focused on woolen clothing and blankets, and material for temporary shelters. This brings the total PDA response for the earthquake to $85,000. byterian-related hospital, Taxila Christian Hospital, is participating in the response. A truckload of items collected by Taxila Hospital employees was sent to Kunar Christian Hospital. Kunar Christian Hospital is near Balakot, the worst hit town by the earthquake. The items collected included warm cloths, blankets, quilts, jackets, sheets, milk containers, juices, mineral water, matches, candles, dry-fruit, shoes and other items. The hospital added medicines, rolls of 80-ft wide plastic sheeting, splints, additional blankets, and flashlights to the truck.

Mr. Joseph Lall, Administrator for the Taxila Christian Hospital, contacted Dr. Haroon of the Kunar Christian Hospital to find out other needs and was told that the hospital’s x-ray machine had been damaged by the earthquake. Mr. Lall accompanied the shipment of supplies and also took a portable x-ray machine, pain killers, and other supplies with him. A medical doctor, Dr. Nadeen, two operating room technicians and their x-ray repairman went to Kunar Charistian Hospital with Mr. Lall. Please read a report of the visit.

Following is an update of the general situation in Pakistan.

Situation Analysis

With winter fast approaching, survivors of the Pakistan earthquake are in a race against time, even as relief efforts continue. Federal Relief Commissioner Major General Farooq Ahmed Khan has again appealed for more winterized tents to help the affected people living in remote areas of Azad Kashmir and North West Frontier Province (NWFP). Specially designed survival kits have been improvised to boost supplies, and the UN is also looking at alternatives such as shelter kits of plastic sheeting, a saw, bamboo, rope, a shovel and axes to overcome the current shortage.

The health ministry and international aid workers have launched a massive campaign to vaccinate millions of people who survived the disaster against infections. Five deaths from tetanus have been reported amongst those who were evacuated, with 42 other cases being treated. Fears of epidemics have grown in Balakot and its surrounding areas due to the decomposition of human remains. With the help of the Canadian Army's Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) a unit has been set up for water purification and a walk-in clinic, as the danger of diseases spreads. Injuries are reported to range from lacerations to broken bones, with gangrene also setting in some cases. More than a thousand patients a day are being admitted to hospitals set up by World Health Organization in Garhi Habib Ullah and Balakot.

According to figures released by the Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR), 2,430 people have been housed in the 130 tents at Hassan near Balakot and 1,127 in 206 tents at Basian. At Kashtra, a 300-tent village houses 510 displaced people. About 50 families are staying in 200 tents in Garhi Habibullah. Tent villages with 50 shelters each have also been established in Jabri, Shamlai and Shawal, and 20 to 30 shelters in Nawazabad, Bahli, Jabar, Deoli, Battagram, Bhanphora, Garlat, Qadarabad, Bhajur, Sacha Kalan, Khurd and Dudar.

NATO is in the phase of finalizing plans to send up to 1,000 extra troops and other staff, along with a small number of helicopters, to Pakistan. NATO said it would also step up its airlift of aid to Pakistan from Europe, but continues to struggle to find helicopters — desperately needed to rush aid into the high mountains of Azad Jammu and Kashmir. It aims to ferry some 860 metric tons of UNHCR supplies to Pakistan in 10 to 15 days.

The government intends to set up "tent schools" in the earthquake-hit areas as early as possible so that educational activities can be resumed without any delay — a real need in the affected areas of the NWFP and Azad Kashmir, where almost all schools and colleges have been demolished by the massive earthquake. The ministry has already started a survey in the affected areas with the help of UNICEF, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and governments of Azad Kashmir and the NWFP, to prepare a database indicating the number of schoolchildren that have died in the disaster.

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