Tuesday,
November 15, 2005 — American Red Cross international relief
worker Jim Stephenson arrived in Islamabad, Pakistan, Nov. 6,
where he joined hundreds of others carrying out the mission
of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement (Movement),
providing life’s essentials to earthquake survivors in
the northeast as they brace for the bitter cold winter ahead.
American Red Cross international relief worker Jim Stephenson
will spend his 60th birthday and much of the winter holiday
season half-a-world away from family and friends serving the
relief efforts in Pakistan. Earlier this year, Stephenson deployed
to Sri Lanka to support relief operations after a tsunami devastated
the communities there.
Stephenson, a retired fire fighter from picturesque Mendecino
County north of San Francisco who will turn 60 in early December,
will spend his birthday on assignment at a base camp in the
mountainous north or northeastern region of Pakistan. There
he also will spend the better part of the holiday season away
from family and friends during his six week assignment as a
relief delegate with the International Federation of Red Cross
and Red Crescent Societies (the Federation).
“I'm running the side of the relief function which is
supplying items to remote locations by helicopter,” said
Stephenson. He explained that the current process involves dropping
two teams with supplies into remote areas to perform two-day
assessments. The teams are then picked up by helicopter and
return to base camp. The following day, they fly back with the
appropriate and adequate supplies for the distribution.
“We're focusing on the highest elevations first to keep
ahead of the weather,” he said. “Using a mix of
locals – men and women – along with Regional Disaster
Response Teams (RDRTs) from Malaysia & the Philippines for
the teams.”
When asked what aspect of his assignment he believes will be
most challenging, Stephenson said that he expects it will be
getting the relief supplies to those who need the help. His
summation is on target with what has challenged most relief
workers responding to this tragedy. Due to the terrain, weather
conditions and earthquake damage – including subsequent
aftershocks long after the initial quake – access to communities
by road, air and any other means has thwarted relief efforts
thus far, prompting a rush to reach as many villages as possible
before the snow sets in.
Red Cross and Red Crescent assistance has reached many families
suffering losses due to the earthquake in India, Afghanistan
and Pakistan. The main focus at the moment, however, is on accessing
the hardest to reach communities where earthquake survivors’
lives are at great risk if winterized tents, blankets, food
and other essentials do not reach them in time.
Stephenson’s work will focus on helping teams move relief
supplies arriving from Red Cross and Red Crescent National Societies
around the world into the hands of earthquake survivors who
will so desperately depend on the aid to make it through winter.
One of the most urgently-needed items is winterized tents. Due
to the number of disasters and other humanitarian crises this
year, production of the specialized tents has barely kept pace
with demand.
A donation of $1 million made by the General Electric Foundation
earlier this month will allow the American Red Cross to purchase
1,600 tents, which will provide warmth and temporary shelter
to earthquake survivors. The tents will be rushed with supplies
provided by other partners in the Movement to mountainous areas
before snow further hinders access.
The GE Foundation donated $1 million to the American Red Cross
to purchase 1,600 winterized tents, like this one, which are
desperately needed by earthquake survivors to provide shelter
from near-freezing temperatures and rain, sleet and snow. "We
are grateful to General Electric for their expedience in giving,
which will allow us to move the tents quickly. The need is immediate
and substantial as we and our partners race against time to
save lives in this extremely complex relief operation,”
said Nan Buzard, Director of International Disaster Response
for American Red Cross.
Some 11,000 tents, 11,000 tarpaulins and 80,000 blankets have
already been distributed by Federation/Pakistan Red Crescent
teams to mountain areas around Balakot, Batagram, Gahri Habibullah
and Mansehra in Pakistan. More than 27,000 people have received
medical care from Red Cross and Red Crescent medical teams and
field hospitals, and approximately 20,000 people have been provided
access to clean water in Batagram, Maira and Balakot. The Pakistan
Red Crescent has distributed some 7,500 tents and 47,000 blankets
and provided medical aid to more than 16,000 people.
“The death toll may rise considerably over the course
of winter from totally preventable causes such as injuries and
exposure to cold because of lack of appropriate shelter,”
said Markku Niskala, Secretary General of the Federation, as
he visited the earthquake-struck areas on Nov. 6 and 7. “Less
than half the money we need to help the people of Pakistan has
been received from the international community.”
To date, only 40 percent of the $117 million for which the Federation
appealed has been secured. Further funds are urgently required
to meet the critical needs of hundreds of thousands of earthquake
survivors as temperatures continue to drop daily. Continued
delivery of adequate aid supplies to remote mountain communities,
particularly in northern Pakistan, is critical to prevent further
loss of life this winter.
“Right now, shelter and health care are our key priorities,”
Said Jahandad Khan, Chairman of the Pakistan Red Crescent Society.
“This operation is about saving lives.”
Carol J. Miller is the Communication & Marketing Lead for
American Red Cross International Services at its national headquarters
in Washington, D.C.
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Off
loading at the distribution site at Jared,
about a 20 min. flight N. of Mansehra where they took
blankets, tarps, jerry cans, & some medications. The
terrain is extremely rough, the damage is heavy from the
EQ as well as from landslies.
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