UN (AP) – An early UN assessment of the impact of Afghanistan’s recent deadly earthquakes has destroyed 5,230 homes and damaged 672 in 49 villages, but the UN has not been able to reach the majority of the far-reaching villages.
Shannon O’Hara, coordinating director of the United Nations Humanitarian Office in Afghanistan, said it made it very difficult to assess the impact of villages affected by the 6.0 magnitude earthquake that damaged roads in the country’s rugged mountainous regions. A series of aftershocks ranging from 5.2 to 5.6 has been added to the difficulties, she said.
The earthquake struck on August 31, killing at least 2,200 people, and that number could rise as more bodies recover. The United Nations estimates that the earthquake has affected up to 500,000 people, with more than half of its children and some Afghans being forced back from nearby Pakistan and Iran.
As an example of the difficulties facing the UN team, O’Hara said it took more than six and a half hours to reach the worst city, about 100 km away on the only road, from Jalalabad, the largest city near the earthquake area.
Many vehicles, including trucks loaded with humanitarian assistance, were trying to help and help, she said.
“As we ran towards the epicenter, we saw our families walking in the opposite direction — evacuating and carrying a bit of what we could. Many were still wearing the same clothes since the night of the earthquake,” O’Hara said. “The mother and father were carrying the child, some of whom have fresh bandages covering the injury.”
She said the devastation got worse as the UN team approached the epicenter, destroying the entire village and smelling overwhelmingly of dead animals. Some families who lived in crowded tents were sleeping under the open sky, exposed to rain and cold.
“There was no clean drinking water or sanitation. There was endemic cholera in the area and there is an initial assessment that shows that 92% of these communities practice open defecation,” she said. “The chances of cholera outbreaks are amazing.”
O’Hara, who has been in a region affected by the earthquake for five days, reported her initial assessment at a video press conference with UN journalists.
She said the needs were overwhelming, with clean water, food, tents, toilets and warm clothing as we approach the beginning of winter snow at the end of October.
On a visit to three camps for displaced people on Monday, O’Hara said women in particular emphasized the need for clean water and proper clothing for themselves and their children.
She said time was the essence. “At any time, rainfall can cause flash floods in the valley,” said camps for evacuees, and “additional aftershocks could cause more severe landslides and block access to communities living near the epicenter,” O’Hara said.
“And the snow blocks access to these mountain valleys,” she said. “If we don’t act now, these communities may not survive the winter ahead.”
The United Nations is scheduled to issue an emergency appeal on Tuesday seeking the funds they desperately need to earthquake survivors, O’Hara said.
She said Afghan arbitrary Taliban authorities were taking the lead in search and rescue operations and there was no major hindrance to humanitarian operations.
Regarding women and girls whose activities have been dramatically reduced by the Taliban, O’Hara said she has not received reports of women being left behind in male-only rescue teams, and the United Nations has ensured that women are part of the health team and aid distribution project.
