Afghanistan: Earthquake aftermath- Press Conference | United Nations

Briefing by Shannon O'Hara, Head of Strategy and Coordination for OCHA Afghanistan, on Afghanistan Earthquake. —————————————— The Head of Strategy and Coordination for OCHA in Afghanistan, Shannon O’Hara, announced that a response plan to the recent earthquakes in Afghanistan “is being finalized and will be launched tomorrow to cover immediate lifesaving needs,” and stressed that “flexibility and speed are critical.” Upon her return from a field visit to the World Food Programme’s (WFP) hub that's being established in Mazar Dara, in Kunar Province, O’Hara said the goal of the visit was to “provide key response enablers for scaling up, including an UNHAS helicopter to ensure humanitarian and supplies can reach these areas.” She told journalists in New York that “the only road in and out is a narrow single lane track carved into the mountainside” which “was blocked by large rocks from landslides and many vehicles trying to get up and down the valley, including large trucks overloaded with humanitarian assistance rushing to get to the most affected areas.” The OCHA official said, “as we drove towards the epicentre, we saw families walking in the opposite direction, displaced, carrying what little they could. Many were still wearing the same clothes from the night of the earthquake. Mothers and fathers were carrying their children, some with fresh bandages covering their injuries.” Upon reaching Mazar Dara, she said, “the smell of dead animals from the surrounding villages was overwhelming.” O’Hara said, “we saw families whose lives had been shattered. Just within a few minutes, the earthquake had destroyed their homes, their farms and their livelihoods, leaving them with absolutely nothing. The conditions on the ground there are dire. Some families are living in crowded tents, while many are sleeping under the open skies, exposed to rain and cold. There was no clean drinking water and no sanitation. With cholera endemic in the region and initial assessments indicating that 92 percent of these communities are practicing open defecation, the potential for a cholera outbreak is alarming.” She said, “if we don't act now, these communities may not survive the coming winter. Additional funding is urgently needed. Without immediate support, the weeks ahead risk compounding this tragedy, with preventable disease outbreaks further displacement and additional loss of life.” On 31 August, a 6+ magnitude earthquake hit Afghanistan. The death toll has risen to 1,400, with more than 3,500 injured. Entire communities have been flattened. Humanitarians are on the ground, ramping up their response. The UN's Emergency Fund (CERF) has released $5million to kickstart the response but more is desperately needed.


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