Earthquake in Pakistan

Pictures from the Earthquake zone in Pakistan. I was there for a few days in November to deliver tents and develop an understanding of the magnitude of the task still remaining. The primary purpose of the visit was to coach the Pakistan Rowing Team but any off day took me up North with the help of my cousins, Adil and Shahid and Uncle Joji. Many thanks to Matt Cawthorne, Matthew Ellinwood, Rich Siemer, Jeff Iqbal, Tariq and Ayusha Chaudhary who all helped with buying and shipping the tents. This is a good cause and you have made a difference.

The day I got to Pakistan, my cousins, Adil and Shahid, Uncle Joji and I loaded up the tents that were sent by family and friends in the USA and took them to the earthquake zone. I decided to pass the tents to Mercy Corp, an NGO that Boeing has worked with.
We unloaded the tents at the Mercy Corp logistics warehouse at the Alpine Hotel in Abbotabad
We decided we had better try to put up a tent to see how easy it was and if it came with instructions. It didn't.
It wasn't easy. With two army officers, an engineer and a pilot, we finally managed! Dr. Arif Noor who was organizing everything with the NGO is on the left.
We then went north to the Field Clinic that Mercy Corp has set up in Jabori. This is after getting off the Karakoram Highway (KKH) in Mansehra.
The way to Jabori. It took about 2-3 hours from Abbotabad.
Tents are pitched by most houses.
The road has been wiped out in many places by landslides. The Army has done a fantastic job in trying to clear the path.
We finally got to one of the field clinic in Jabori. There was a long line of men women and children waiting to see the doctor.
Doctor Steve Price fromt he Northwest Medical Team were manning the facility.
We got there at almost 3:00 pm and the Doctor was still going strong, looking over every patient carefully.
The strategy is to get the medical services as far forward as possible to shorten the time it takes for a patient to see a doctor. The really sick people can be evacuated to Abbotabad.
The main tent where the patients are examined.
We are pitching one of the tents we brought to help in case weather got cold and people had to be kept overnight.
The line of people waiting outside the medical tent
The tent was set up right next to the river. Under better circumstances, one could say the setting was beautiful.
A father had brought his child.
The patients included young and old alike. This clinic is doing great work
One of the new tents is going up. Much faster this time.
One of the children waiting to see the doctor at the field clinic.
Collette Whalen is an RN working in the clinic. She was busy organizing the pharmacy.
One of the bridges in Jabori crossing the river which is low at this time of the year.
Me standing on a bridge in Jabori
Houses demolished by the Earthquake. This is timber and mud construction.
A wood and mud building broken by the shaking.
A bridge on the way.
The valley at sunset.
horse crossing the river, which is pretty low at this time of the year.
L to R. My cousin, Shahid, my Uncle Joji, my cousin, Adil. Adil has a frieght forwarding business and has been busy sending free truckloads of relief supplies up north.
There are few trees left on the hills. The deforestation in some cases contributed to the slides that took out houses.
Any transportation is very useful in these parts
A refugee village set up in Islamabad by the rowing team. Everyone in Pakistan has launched themselves in giving a helping hand.
This NGO provides food, tents and medical care to almost 160 families in Islamabad.
The cooking facilities for the camp. Almost everyone was a volunteer. Some of the rowing coaches were spending 2-3 hours every day helping with the camp.
The road to Bagh before we got to the hilly area.
The mountains on the way to Bagh. We thought the drive would take three hours. It ended up taking 5-6 hours because at a number of places we were forced to a crawl.
Most of the road was a single lane road.
Sunset on the way to Bagh
We were hosted by Gen. Qasim Qureshi, GOC 19 Div. He was a friend of Uncle Joji. Extremely impressive officer. Stayed up till 11:30 pm taking calls from locals on earthquake relief in his uniform. His staff was the same way. The ops center is staffed 24 hours, and was full of people at 11 pm.
The operations HQ. The planning seemed to be extremely sound, and the officers to a man took their work very seriously and seemed to be very competent at it.
An NGO briefing on earthquake proof shelters
Soldiers in the Operations tent.
Gen. Qasim with his ADC.
Officers accomodations in Bagh. Everything in ruins. An officer said he was thrown from his bed to the opposite wall 5 feets away, so violent was the earthquake.