Caritas steps up efforts to meet urgent needs of quake victims in Pakistan          

[JAN. 7, 2006]  VATICAN CITY -- With temperatures dropping and snow falling, Caritas moved quickly to provide tents, plastic sheeting, blankets and other essential items, including kitchen utensils and hygiene kits, to survivors of the 7.6 magnitude earthquake that struck Pakistan in October.

The powerful quake claimed tens of thousands of lives in the North West Frontier Province and Pakistani-administered Kashmir and left scores displaced and injured. It is estimated that more than 3.5 million people have been affected. The exact death toll has not been determined. However, Tariq Raza, emergency coordinator for Caritas Pakistan's field office in Mansehra, believes that all of the affected communities have now been identified.

Caritas Mansehra's assessment work began in Balakot, a town that had been flattened by the quake. Balakot, in the North West Frontier Province, was also the last point accessible by road. With numerous nongovernmental organizations already working there, Caritas Mansehra focused on getting relief to more remote communities.

Caritas Mansehra reported that many of the displaced came down from their mountaintop villages -- often walking for hours -- in search of shelter and food. Tent cities have sprung up in towns like Balakot and Mansehra. However, other survivors have been reluctant to leave behind their damaged houses or livestock, the source of their livelihood.

It was reported that 150,000-200,000 people were still living in difficult-to-reach areas.

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[Provided by the Good News Agency]