Kabul, Afghanistan
Situation:
Verified reports so far have identified 70 districts with houses completely destroyed in the 13 provinces most affected by the powerful earthquake that struck northeastern Afghanistan on 26 October. The last 24 hours has seen no change in the reported number of people killed or injured by the earthquake. The verified numbers of house damages went up slightly with 2,460 houses destroyed and 2,504 houses damaged. The Government has begun making cash payments to the families of those who were killed as a result of the earthquake.
Assessments:
International Organization for Migration Humanitarian Assistance Programme reporting indicates that joint assessments have now been completed in approximately 30 per cent of the 102 districts reported affected. 32 humanitarian partners have been supporting the Provincial Disaster Management Committee-led assessments.
Assessments to determine loss of life and property damage are expected to continue through the weekend. In the Eastern region of the country, Afghanistan Red Crescent Society takes the lead in reaching out to remote areas.
Response: 20 humanitarian partners have committed to providing humanitarian assistance, with reports indicating that humanitarian assistance has begun in 19 districts. It has been assessed that sufficient cash, food and non-food items (NFIs) are available in the Eastern region of the country to respond to the needs of some 4,000 families.
Additional resources will be required to support an estimated 3,000 families throughout the winter, and notwithstanding the overall sufficiency of supplies, access difficulties in areas such as Nuristan will invariably delay the delivery of those supplies. In Takhar province, food, NFI and tents are being provided by some three organizations including Afghanistan National Disaster Management Agency (ANDMA). Within the health sector, the critical trauma and emergency phase of this disaster has passed and the focus has now transitioned to one of managing surgical patients and providing psychosocial support to traumatized communities.
Needs:
With snow already falling in parts of Badakhshan province, emergency shelter and winterization are particularly pressing concerns. Access too many of the quake-affected areas remains the most significant disaster response challenge.