In Herat, earthquake survivors remain in a state of uncertainty

Six months after a series of four earthquakes that struck the Afghan province of Herat, survivors are still living in difficult conditions. The terrible event heavily hit several districts of the province, affecting 275,000 people.

Among them were pregnant women, children, and internally displaced persons. The disaster caused considerable damage, destroying schools, roads, bridges, and health centers. According to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the housing sector has suffered significant damage, with almost 50,000 houses destroyed or damaged, and the situation is becoming even more critical due to the floods currently ravaging the province.

Today, some 24,800 people are forced to live in precarious conditions, uncertain about their future. While some have been able to find shelter with relatives, most of the inhabitants have found themselves living in temporary tents devoid of insulation and heating, with temperatures hovering around zero degrees in January. As a result, the difficult living conditions created health and emotional challenges for these survivors, who are still struggling to recover from the event.

MEETING URGENT NEEDS IN THE EPICENTER OF THE EARTHQUAKE

On October 12, Action Against Hunger deployed an emergency team to support the coordination and delivery of aid to villages in the worst-affected districts of Zinda Jan, Injil, Gulran, and Robat Sangi. Most 63% of residents told our teams that their homes were severely damaged and could no longer be lived in.  

“People affected by the earthquake have various needs, including access to food, drinking water, sanitation facilities, shelter, cooking kits, medical care, and psychosocial protection services,” explains Vijay Raghavan, Country Director of Action Against Hunger in Afghanistan. “During the winter, they needed equipment to keep warm in their tents.“

Following the emergency response coordinated by our teams, 300 households in the Gulran, Rabat Sangee, and Injil districts, where houses were completely destroyed, received kits containing basic necessities for cooking and eating (forks, spoons, gourds, bowls, matches, jerrycans, table knives, and teapots). These families also benefited from $100 in monetary aid to buy clothes, mattresses, and comforters for the winter. In addition, the project provided 60 households in the Zinda Jan district with wheelbarrows, shovels, and pickaxes to enable them to repair and rebuild their homes.