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The violent tremors flattened much of Mashkail and the surrounding region including houses and shops. Media reports are saying national relief efforts have been delayed due to the isolation of the area.
‘We have ShelterBox aid prepositioned in Islamabad with the National Rural Support Programme (NRSP), who we have worked with before in our responses to previous disasters in Pakistan,’ said ShelterBox operations coordinator Dave Ray (UK). ‘The tents arrived in Quetta today and are now being trucked to Mashkail to arrive tomorrow.
‘We have ShelterBox aid prepositioned in Islamabad with the National Rural Support Programme (NRSP), who we have worked with before in our responses to previous disasters in Pakistan,’ said ShelterBox operations coordinator Dave Ray (UK). ‘The tents arrived in Quetta today and are now being trucked to Mashkail to arrive tomorrow.
'Mashkail is a hard-to-reach area so having aid stored in-country and an established partnership with NRSP has enabled us to send emergency shelter to those families who have been left with nothing as quickly as possible.’
Meanwhile, initial rapid needs assessments have been made by Balochistan Rural Support Programme (BRSP) showing that almost two thirds of the houses in Mashkail have completely collapsed, leaving over 2,500 households in need of shelter. Further detailed needs assessments are currently underway.
BRSP will be ShelterBox’s implementing partner when the tents arrive and will deliver them to those families in most need rapidly and effectively.
‘The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is the leading organisation among UN agencies for the provision of tents in emergencies,’ said Fateh Shah Arif, BRSP’s Emergency Response Manager. ‘But their warehouse in Quetta burnt down a few months ago leaving them with no shelters here, therefore the provision of tents is an immediate need for those affected by the disaster.’
