US embassy cable - 05ISLAMABAD15860

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 10 ISLAMABAD 015860 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE ALSO PASS TO USAID 
USAID/W FOR A/AID ANDREW NATSIOS, JBRAUSE 
DCHA/OFDA KISAACS, GGOTTLIEB, MMARX, RTHAYER, BDEEMER 
AID/W FOR DCHA/OFDA 
SOUTH ASIA RESPONSE MANAGEMENT TEAM 
SOUTH ASIA EARTHQUAKE TASK FORCE 
DCHA/FFP FOR LAUREN LANDIS 
ANE DEPUTY ASSISTANT ADMINISTRATOR MARK WARD 
BANGKOK FOR OFDA SENIOR REGIONAL ADVISOR TOM DOLAN 
KATHMANDU FOR OFDA REGIONAL ADVISOR WILLIAM BERGER 
ROME PASS FODAG 
GENEVA FOR RMA AND NKYLOH 
NSC FOR JMELINE 
EUCOM FOR POLA/J3/J4/J5 
BRUSSELS FOR USAID PLERNER 
NEW YORK FOR TMALY 
SECDEF FOR SOLIC/PKHA, USDP/J3 
JOINT STAFF WASHINGTON DC FOR J3/J4/J5 
HQ USEUCOM VAIHINGEN GE FOR J3/J5 
 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: EAID, AEMR, ASEC, MASS, ECON, KMDR, KPAO, OIIP, OPRC, PGOV, PREL, PK, Earthquake, Earthquake: USAID/DART Situation Report 
SUBJECT: PAKISTAN - EARTHQUAKE:  USAID/DART SITUATION REPORT 
 #5 
 
 
------------ 
Summary 
------------ 
 
1.  On October 21, the International Organization for 
Migration (IOM) reported that 62,000 tents were delivered to 
Pakistan by the international community and 50,000 tents 
have been delivered by the Government of Pakistan (GOP). 
IOM further stated that there are currently 194,000 tents 
available in the international community pipeline, and 
45,000 to 210,000 shelters are needed.  The Pakistani 
military has established sites for 5,000 families (30,000 
individuals) in Balakot and Batagram and 3,000 families 
(18,000 individuals) in Gari Habibullah.  The U.N. High 
Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is also discussing with 
the Pakistani military the establishment of additional camps 
in Mansehra, Muzaffarabad, Shangla, and 10 other locations. 
USAID/Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) team members 
in Muzaffarabad continue to report that tents are the 
priority.  On October 21, the shelter cluster group in 
Muzaffarabad reported that 1,300 to 1,400 tents have been 
distributed in the district to date.  Seven to eight percent 
of Muzaffarabad is considered at high altitude and/or 
inaccessible, and access to small villages remains a 
problem.  End summary. 
 
--------------------- 
Death Tolls 
--------------------- 
 
2.  According to the Pakistani Federal Relief Commissioner, 
as of October 21, the October 8 earthquake killed 49,739 
people and injured 74,000 others.  The official death toll 
in the North West Frontier Province (NWFP) alone is 37,958. 
The most-affected district is Mansehra, where 32,653 deaths 
and 12,814 injuries have been confirmed thus far. 
 
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Health 
------------ 
 
3.  On October 19, a USAID/Pakistan representative attended 
an emergency health cluster meeting and reported that the 
Ministry of Health (MOH) discussed the importance of the non- 
governmental organizations (NGOs) supporting widows, 
children, orphans, and the elderly.  Anti-tetanus globulin 
remains an urgent need, and the International Federation of 
Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) is trying to 
meet this need.  The MOH representative at the cluster 
meeting reported that the number of amputations is 
increasing, and this will lead to a significant need for 
rehabilitation services.  A committee has been formed to 
assess the rehabilitation needs of the affected population. 
The MOH is setting up intermediate centers in Islamabad to 
house women and children who are displaced because they are 
in Islamabad to receive medical care. 
 
4.  According to the GOP, 100 3-person medical teams, 
consisting of a psychiatrist, a psychologist, and a medical 
student, have been dispatched to affected areas to treat 
people, particularly children, suffering from shock.  The 
health cluster group also reported that Save the Children- 
U.S. has opened a field hospital in Batagram. 
 
-------------- 
Food 
-------------- 
 
5.  On October 19, a U.S. Embassy/Pakistan representative 
attended the food cluster group meeting and reported that 
the flash appeal will be completed on October 21.  The U.N. 
World Food Program (WFP) reported that there is still an 
urgent need to determine the number and locations of people 
who need food assistance, as well as the number of people 
migrating to cities from villages.  Vitamin A 
supplementation distribution and measles vaccinations have 
begun in affected areas. 
 
 
 
----------------- 
Shelter 
----------------- 
 
6.  On October 19, a U.S. Embassy/Pakistan representative 
attended the shelter cluster meeting and reported that 
a shelter cluster working group paper was circulated and 
proposed the following alternatives to winterized tents: 
 
     --Improvised housing:  constructed using materials from 
donated buildings and donated materials, most likely with 
wooden frames. 
 
     --Rehabilitated housing: repairing structurally sound 
earthquake damaged buildings. 
 
     --Warm Room: (variant of rehabilitated housing) 
winterizing and heating a single room of a structurally 
sound damaged building. 
 
     --Host family housing:  survivors share housing with 
families whose housing is intact. 
 
7.  IOM reported that statistics on the number of tents 
being provided for earthquake survivors and those on the way 
are still not exact.  The shelter cluster is trying to 
determine if the 100,000 tents reportedly at GOP disposal 
and the 150,000 tents in the GOP pipeline include donated 
tents.  On October 21, the USAID/DART Deputy Team Leader 
spoke with an IOM representative who stated that 62,000 
tents were delivered to Pakistan by the international 
community and 50,000 tents have been delivered by the GOP. 
IOM further stated that there are currently 194,000 tents 
available in the international community pipeline, and 
45,000 to 210,000 shelters are needed.  The IOM 
representative noted that there is no information regarding 
the GOP's pipeline.  IOM has also not been able to confirm 
whether the GOP has requisitioned tents. 
 
8.  IOM stated that it has had discussions with the leaders 
of the camp management and logistics cluster on an overall 
shelter strategy but that so far no conclusions had been 
reached. 
 
9.  The Rural Support Programmes Network (RSPN) reported 
that it has been working from Mansehra, in conjunction with 
the Pakistani military and local officials, and has 
established approximately 11 camps of 50 tents each.  RSPN 
discovered that rather than staying in large camps, people 
preferred to live closer to their own property; for this 
reason RSPN's camp sizes are small, and many people have 
chosen to take tents and supplies to locations closer to 
their own property. 
 
10.  On October 21, a shelter meeting was held in 
Muzaffarabad and the cluster group reported that 1,300 to 
1,400 tents have been distributed in the district to date. 
[Note.  This does not include GOP data or data on tents 
flown in or trucked in directly from Islamabad.  End Note.] 
Alternative shelter kits are being developed, as well as a 
shelter repair (warm/dry room concept) strategy.  Seven to 
eight percent of Muzaffarabad is considered at high altitude 
and/or inaccessible, and access to small villages remains a 
problem.  Teams from Oxfam are making visits to villages and 
organizing deliveries of relief supplies upon returning to 
town.  IOM does not yet have a presence in Muzaffarabad, and 
they are needed to centralize data as well as interface with 
the GOP and others. 
 
---------------------- 
Camp Management 
---------------------- 
 
11.  UNHCR continues to work closely with the Pakistani 
military to establish camps for internally displaced persons 
(IDPs).  The Pakistani military has established sites for 
5,000 families (30,000 individuals) in Balakot and Batagram 
and 3,000 families (18,000 individuals) in Gari Habibullah. 
The Gari Habibullah site needs brush clearance and leveling 
before it can be expanded.  Thus far, UNHCR has provided the 
Pakistani military with 1,000 tents, and approximately 400 
tents have been erected.  UNHCR has 12,000 tents in 
Mansehra, but it will release them and emergency relief 
supplies gradually to the Pakistani military, which can 
erect about 200 tents a day.  The International Medical 
Corps has already established basic health units in the 
Balakot and Batagram camps. 
 
12.  UNHCR is also discussing with the Pakistani military 
the establishment of additional camps in Mansehra, 
Muzaffarabad, Shangla, and 10 other locations.  Since land 
is at a premium in the mountainous terrain, camps will be 
crowded and need careful planning, especially in the water 
and sanitation sectors. 
 
13.  UNHCR has had only a small team of its Pakistani staff 
in the field; however, with its supply chain in place, UNHCR 
will deploy international staff and plans to staff five 
locations by October 21.  UNHCR has brought in seven 
additional international staff members to help with its camp 
management activities.  UNHCR's primary goals are 
organization and assistance to informal settlements and the 
provision of tents and emergency relief supplies to those 
who want to be located near their destroyed homes.  UNHCR 
will continue to publicize its efforts to provide camp and 
non-camp alternatives to those who have lost their homes. 
 
---------------- 
Protection 
----------------- 
 
14.  According to the GOP, the National Database and 
Registration Authority (NADRA) has been mobilized to 
register and collect data and photographs of all injured and 
displaced persons, as well as unattended children and women 
to ensure their safety and security. 
 
--------------- 
Logistics 
--------------- 
 
15.  The U.N. Joint Logistics Center (UNJLC) is working with 
the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) on logistical 
issues.  Map Action will be conducting a slope analysis of 
earthquake affected areas to determine what terrain can 
support tents.  On October 20, the logistics cluster meeting 
reported that the NATO airbridge has started, and NATO has 
agreed to let non-NATO members and U.N. related agencies use 
the air bridge on a one-off basis. 
 
16.  The USAID/DART was distressed to hear that the U.N. 
Emergency Relief Coordinator, Jan Egeland was calling for a 
quote Berlin-style airlift end quote for Pakistan.  The 
USAID/DART reports that the airports are already congested, 
and forward movement from the airports to remote areas is 
the main constraint.  The U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) 
has worked closely with the GOP to ensure the maximum number 
of airlifts within the constraints of safety and air traffic 
congestion.  The number of landing slots available for 
helicopters is saturated, and additional airlift capacity 
that is not coordinated with the GOP or Pakistani military 
could exacerbate the problem.  The USAID/DART is trying to 
meet with the U.N. to obtain clarification on Egeland's 
comments. 
 
--------------------- 
Education 
--------------------- 
 
17.  The USAID/DART U.N. Liaison Officer (UNLO) met with the 
U.N. World Health Organization (WHO) and the U.N. Children's 
Fund (UNICEF) to discuss the use of medium and large tents 
for clinics and schools.  Both organizations were interested 
in the USAID/DART's suggestions, and the USAID/DART will 
further discuss this option once the needs have been 
determined.  The USAID/DART is working with USAID/Pakistan 
to determine appropriate spaces for these tent schools and 
clinics and working with the DOD to provide the large tents 
to UNICEF and WHO.  USAID/Pakistan sent a three-person 
foreign service national (FSN) team to Muzaffarabad to work 
with Ministry of Education (MOE) authorities to test the 
concept of tents for schools.  USAID/Pakistan will expand 
the project based upon this assessment. 
 
--------------------------------------------- ----- 
USAID/DART Activities in Muzaffarabad - October 19 
--------------------------------------------- ----- 
 
18.  As of October 19, two members of the USAID/DART have 
established a full-time USAID/DART presence in Muzaffarabad. 
The team reported that according to the U.N. Disaster 
Assessment and Coordination (UNDAC) team representative in 
Muzaffarabad, all relief commodities arriving in 
Muzaffarabad are being helicoptered to affected villages for 
distribution.  The U.N. stated that relief commodities are 
not arriving in Muzaffarabad quickly enough.  The team 
reported that that the Pakistani Kashmir government has said 
that 239,000 tents are needed in the area. [Note.  There are 
many contradictory figures on the number of tents that are 
currently needed.  These numbers are unconfirmed.  End 
Note.] 
 
19.  The U.N. reported that all trauma patients in the area 
have been evacuated from Muzaffarabad.  The USAID/DART 
Health Officer (HO) reported that the U.N. believes that the 
number of casualties being flown to Muzaffarabad has 
markedly decreased in the last day or so. 
 
20.  On October 19, representatives of several international 
militaries, the U.N., and NGOs planned to meet to discuss 
dividing affected areas geographically and to establish 
priorities in geographic areas.  This plan will be given to 
the Pakistani military for approval. 
 
21.  The USAID/DART reports that the U.N. will try to place 
a U.N. Liaison officer with the Pakistani military in 
Muzaffarabad in order to facilitate flights and 
coordination. 
 
22.  The USAID/DART spoke to a representative of the United 
Kingdom's Department for International Development (DFID) 
who reported that Balakot is completely destroyed.  The 
USAID/DART Structural Specialist also confirmed this 
information at the shelter cluster meeting where the group 
reported that the earthquake damaged between 73.5 percent 
and 90 percent of Balakot. 
 
--------------------------------------------- ------ 
USAID/DART Activities in Muzaffarabad - October 20 
--------------------------------------------- ------ 
 
23.  On October 20, the USAID/DART conducted assessments of 
the two villages of Doong and Dunna, both located 
approximately 40 minutes northwest of Muzaffarabad.  The 
team reported that there is no running water, and the 
villages have not received any relief supplies as supplies 
are being distributed to villagers at lower altitudes.  In 
the village of Doong, there are approximately 300 residents 
and 71 houses.  Fifteen people were killed by the 
earthquake.  The only building that is still standing is the 
primary school, and students started their first day of 
school after the earthquake on October 19.  In Dunna, there 
are approximately 40 houses, and while the school was 
damaged, students have started classes again elsewhere. 
AD/W FOR DCHA/OFDA 
 
24.  According to the USAID/DART, both villages need 
approximately 50 tents each, and local residents reported 
that it will start snowing in a month and will continue to 
snow in some areas until June.  Both villages previously 
received water through a pipeline that was disrupted due to 
the earthquake.  Villagers are now obtaining water from 
streams, distribution points, or bringing it back from 
elsewhere.  The team noted that both villages have some food 
and water, but sanitation is now becoming a major issue. 
 
25.  The USAID/DART HO reported that at Abbas hospital in 
Muzaffarabad, many patients do not want to leave after they 
have been treated since they have nowhere to go as their 
homes are destroyed.  The Abbas hospital will have to shut 
down its surgical capacity as there is a lack of bed space. 
The USAID/HO noted that doctors are starting to see patients 
with respiratory illnesses, and there does not appear to be 
any type of disease tracking system in place. 
 
--------------- 
USAID Airlifts 
--------------- 
 
26.  On October 18, two USAID airlifts of relief commodities 
arrived in Pakistan.  The two airlifts carried 650 rolls of 
plastic sheeting, 5,000 blankets, and 5,000 water 
containers.  The total value of this assistance, including 
transport, is USD 301,750.   The relief commodities were 
provided to Catholic Relief Services (CRS) and will be 
delivered to Bisham, Kohistan, and Mansehra. 
 
27.  On October 18, a USAID airlift of 20 concrete cutting 
saws arrived in Pakistan.  The value of assistance, 
including transport, is USD 64,617.  The saws were given to 
Pakistani Civil Defense. 
 
28.  According to the USAID/DART Military Liaison Officer 
(MLO), as of October 21, the U.S. military has transported 
3,124,000 pounds of relief commodities including food, 
medicines, tents, water, blankets, and clothes to Pakistan 
to assist earthquake affected victims.  The USAID/DART has 
facilitated the distribution of approximately 15 percent of 
these commodities. 
 
29.  As of October 20, USAID/OFDA has provided shelter 
materials for 67,500 people and blankets for 15,000 persons. 
USAID/OFDA has distributed medical supplies for 100,000 
people for 3 months to treat injuries and disease.  To keep 
people healthy, USAID/OFDA is providing water treatment to 
supply safe drinking water to 20,000 people every day, water 
containers for 15,000 families, and water storage capacity 
for 8 communities. 
 
CROCKER