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South Asia Earthquake |
Disaster Assistance at a Glance
Affected Countries:
Pakistan, India, Afghanistan
OFDA Response:
Emergency relief supplies, livelihoods, shelter, agriculture, logistics, capacity building, protection, risk reduction,
psychosocial support, coordination, health, water, sanitation, and hygiene
Final OFDA Report:
South Asia Earthquake Fact sheet #44 (71kb PDF)
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On October 8, 2005, a magnitude 7.6 earthquake struck Pakistan, India, and Afghanistan. The epicenter of the earthquake was located near Muzaffarabad, approximately 60 miles northeast of Islamabad, Pakistan.
The most affected areas were the North-West Frontier Province and Azad Jammu and Kashmir. According to the Government of Pakistan (GOP), the earthquake killed more than 73,000 people, injured 128,000 others, and
left more than 5 million people homeless. The earthquake also leveled 80 to 90 percent of cities in the most affected areas, destroyed roads and other transportation routes, demolished water distribution systems,
and caused landslides throughout mountainous areas. Inaccessible terrain and damaged or collapsed infrastructure hampered the delivery of humanitarian assistance to affected areas.
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A Pakistani family made homeless by the 2005 earthquake takes shelter under USAID plastic sheeting. |
On October 8, 2005, U.S. Ambassador Ryan C. Crocker declared a disaster due to the damage caused by the earthquake. Immediately following the earthquake, USAID deployed a Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) that
worked from a headquarters in Islamabad as well as two forward bases of operations in the urban centers of Muzaffarabad and Mansehra. For nearly six months, the DART worked with the GOP, U.N. agencies, and non-governmental
organizations to assess humanitarian needs, provide technical support, and assist with targeting and coordination of U.S. government assistance.
OFDA identified shelter, relief supplies, logistics, health, water and sanitation, and livelihoods support as priority sectors for relief operations. OFDA supported 25 flights of emergency relief commodities, delivering blankets,
winterized tents, plastic sheeting, water containers, water bladders, water purification units, emergency health kits, and concrete cutting saws. In total, OFDA provided more than $69.4 million in assistance.
For information on USAID's earthquake recovery and reconstruction programs, please see here.
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