WE NEED YOU IN PAKISTAN/Donate your old Digital Cameras

Thap · October 12, 2005, 5:26pm

Re: WE NEED YOU IN PAKISTAN / Guppies to buy airplane ticket

Fraudz:

here is some info i recevied about the status from other teams that are out there. please keep this in mind, I would suggest getting in touch with edhi and work with them to really make your efforts count

We went up as far as Balakot yesterday with some good trucks. Some
facts so that everyone can make sound decisions:

The road upto Balakot and beyond is completely clear. There is no
damage up until Shinkiari. Abbottabad has some fallen buildings but nothing
substantial. Shinkiari and beyond things get bad, but access is very
easy and possible.

There is a huge traffic jam now, perpetual and unending, most of it
caused by cars accompanying trucks who just want to see. Better to ride
in the trucks in case someone wants to go personally.

There is tremendous chaos and ill-discipline. No PROJECT OFFICE
where all relief organizations can come together and establish a pattern of
operation.

I think 60% of their time is being spent running about doing nothing.

The only two organizations working in a disciplined manner with
regard to delivery of goods and establishing services are the Army and Edhi.
Their camps are organized, their delivery is substantial and the process
seems to be running smoothly. We delivered half the stuff to Edhi and the other
half to the Army Camp just short of Shinkiari. Subsequently, one of the
trucks was taken directly to a village called “Ouggi” which had received very
few supplies.

There is no need anymore for food. In fact, it is not wise to send
uncooked items since there is no means for cooking. What is required
now are tents and kafans as first priority, and blankets and epidemic
controlling drugs as second priority.

Ofcourse, the shortfall is happening seriously in terms of machinery
to pull ppl out of the debris. International teams have been very
effective, Pakistani teams utterly non-existent except for whatever the Army could
pull together in terms of machinery.

The first emergency medical camp we saw was in Abbottabad, at Ayub
Medical College. It was full of injured and dead. Also quite chaotic
but somewhat more organized than the one in Mansehra.

The camp in Mansehra needs a PMO! There is all sort of political
manouvreing going on to get goods and supplies to specific spots thru
specific groups. I saw many politicians there - wont name them! - who
were shaking hands and just generally checking up alongw/ their individual
camera crews. For the 3 hours that we were there trying to find out who would
take custody of our goods, we saw no progress other than doctors who were
exhausted with looking after an unending line of injured. I saw more
dishonest activity going on than I did serious work other than by the
doctors. There were rooms full of medical supplies but they were all
getting wet and dirty due to the rain and hailstorm. I didnt see
anyone make an effort to move them to safer, closed structures.

In terms of communication etc., cellular service is working all the
way to the top, i.e till Sinkiari, in patches ofcourse. Whatever
communication network you intend to set up, make sure you put ONE TEAM INCHARGE, to
organize it. I would advise do it in collaboration with either Edhi or
the Army. There isnt any other organization there that I felt was equipped
to handle any substantial cross-town, across-territory work.

Great input Fruadz I will send further money raised to Edhi only from now on. I along with another co-worker are organizing a company appeal. Along with donations from friends and freinds of freinds using the company matching policy we are making headway mashallah.