Submitted by crinadmin on
Summary: Children and their families living in the earthquake-hit areas of Pakistan and India are facing ever more extreme conditions after the new year brought heavy snow storms and torrential rain to the region.
[LONDON, 6 January 2006] - Children and their families living in the earthquake-hit areas of Pakistan and India are facing ever more extreme conditions after the new year brought heavy snow storms and torrential rain to the region. Children are now living in villages covered by more than three-feet of snow and temperatures have dropped to minus 10. It is almost three months since the earthquake on October 8 and Save the Children is continuing to battle the elements to get to the most vulnerable children, despite roads being cut off and helicopter flights often cancelled due to poor visibility. "We are still at the very peak of this emergency and the international community has to remain focussed. Heavy snow and extreme cold is creating treacherous road conditions, which are hampering the relief effort," said Jeremie Bodin, Save the Children’s Emergencies Advisor for the earthquake. The Save the Children alliance has already distributed shelter to more than 25,000 families and provided thousands of quilts, blankets and other vital supplies. "The bad weather has made life unimaginably hard for families and children in camps and villages. We still see many children who are not even adequately dressed, with sometimes only sandals to wear on their feet. We don't know how they will cope in such harsh conditions, it is imperative that now, more than ever, relief efforts are redoubled and focus on the most vulnerable," said Pete Sykes, Emergency Programme Manager in Pakistan. After every incident of severe weather a team from Save the Children goes out to the areas they are working in and contact the remotest villages to make a rapid assessment of the situation and what people need. After the recent heavy snow and rain the teams found there had been many landslides and most roads around Bagh were closed. Dozens of tents in temporary camps and in the more rural mountainous areas had collapsed due to the weight of heavy snow or problems caused by wet ground and flooding. The shelter kits provided by Save the Children, which include corrugated iron sheets, plastic sheeting and tools have proved invaluable to people building adequate shelter for their families and insulating their tents against the elements. Throughout the winter, Save the Children’s priority is to continue providing vulnerable children and their families with shelter materials to further protect themselves from the harsh winter conditions. Children are particularly vulnerable in the harsh winter weather and are more susceptible to pneumonia and respiratory infections brought on by the cold. The charity is also providing education and safe play facilities for children living in the villages and temporary camps to help restore a sense of normality for children affected by the earthquake. pdf: http://www.savethechildren.org.uk/scuk/jsp/resources/details.jsp?id=3664...