Kashmir Earthquake
On the 8th of October, Kashmir was struck by a devastating earthquake which shook parts of Pakistan, Central India, and Afghanistan. The earthquake took place at 9.25 AM with a magnitude of 7.6 on the Richter scale, claiming the lives of 87,351 and injuring countless more. Most structures such as homes and temples in the villages and town were demolished forcing 4 million people homeless.
Although there was immediate relief provided to the victims of the initial shock, the strong tremors from the aftershocks as well as the drop in temperature hampered the relief and rehabilitation support. Our field workers were working day & night to console and help the victims. Most workers and victims had to spend their nights in the cold open air due to a lack of immediate support.
What did we fund?
The rehabilitation program was spearheaded by Sewa Bharathi International along with the army that was already posted there. We began by providing immediate shelter (tents) to the victims who had their original shelter destroyed or is likely to fall at any given time.
As our resources and personnel are limited, we focused on helping the most affected victims of this natural calamity. We initially adopted 3 of the most affected villages where 2 was in Kashmir and 1 in the Jammu region, where all 3 were situated on the Line of Control in India near the POK.
Details of Rehabilitation in the 3 Villages
Lagama
This village is a part of Uri city and is in Baramulla District. We initially constructed 80 blocks as a permanent shelter for the victims along with a community hall, a small school, and a dispensary.
Tangdar
This is in the Kupwara District and is along the Line of Control in Kashmir where most of the people were buried under the houses. We initially constructed 60 blocks for their permanent settlement along with a community hall, a school, and a dispensary.
Jhallas
This village is in the Poonch District which is also near the Line of Control. The village was severely damaged, claiming many lives and destroyed their homes, sacred temples, and their livelihood. We constructed 60 blocks for the severely impacted victims as well as a community hall, a school, a dispensary and rebuild the broken temple.
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