Pakistan Earthquake

On October 8, 2005 the history of Pakistan turned a new page when a massive earthquake hit the northern part of the country. It was said to be the most powerful quake in the last 100 years. It had a magnitude of 7. 6 and was accompanied by more than 60 aftershocks. It killed and injured more than thousands of people and caused massive destruction in the northern part. It was early in the morning when the earth shattering quake jolted the residents out of their beds. Those who were already up and about ready to go, or were at work and school rushed out of their buildings into the open air as the earth shook violently beneath them. They started praying. Still many were trapped as the buildings come down on them. Most of the students lost their lives, as they were completely unaware that they would be buried alive under the ruins of their school building. My family and I had moved to Islamabad (northern part of the country) just two days ago. Our part of the city was not as affected compared to the other parts and because of that we felt lucky. The Margalla Towers, an apartment complex collapsed and killed most of the residents living there. Many of our relatives and family friends lived in that area. Mom tried to call them but the communication systems were disrupted by the quake. This added to the anxiety of the people who could not call their relatives in the affected areas. Many of them were injured and lost most of their family members to the quake. However the most disturbing news was that my aunt lost her husband and her six months old son. The quake affected millions of people directly and indirectly. The official death toll was 87,000 and more than 100,000 people were injured. Many dead bodies were pulled, from the rubble with missing limbs or completely crushed by the rescue teams. But also there had been a handful of incredible stories of survival. Rescue teams worked against insurmountable odd, and succeeded in pulling victims alive from the rubble. A six year old boy became one of the last to be pulled alive from the earthquake’s devastation. After 200 hours, Ahmad had remained conscious but trapped eneath the layers of rubble, which was all that remained of his family’s apartment. â€Å"I was playing with my truck, then I fell†, he said, recounting what had happened. The rest of the family was not as lucky. There were other amazing stories, a ninety year old woman was found alive while other members of her family were lying dead around her, with exception of her three year old grandson. She was left to raise him at this old age. A mother was recovered de ad and she was shielding two children under her. One had died but the other lived. The quake affected millions of people, ordinary people come in thousands to help in relief efforts. Volunteers answered the calls for blood donations and brought food, water and other goods for the victims. Muzaffarabad and its surrounding areas were badly affected. Most of the villages were completely wiped out, and roads were blocked by heavy rocks from the Himalaya Mountains. The Pakistan Air Force helicopters that were well equipped to perform relief activities waved their way through the mountains and flew over the affected areas. But landing in some areas was impossible. The clock ticked by, and despite the hard work of the rescue teams, many bodies were trapped inside the heavy rubble, with an acute smell of human flesh coming from them. Nature continued to be needlessly cruel. There was rain and hail, many people without shelter died. In less than two months, the Himalaya Mountains got their first snowfall and the temperature was below zero. Aid came from around the world. But still it’s too little and often the wrong kind. There were not enough tents, blankets and warm clothe to go around. Hundreds of tents had been provided but thousands of families remain out under the sky. They face rain and hail with dread in their hearts. They have lost everything even their hope to live. Imagine yourself buried under the heavy rubble alive, with no food, no water and constantly bleeding and weighting for your only killer†¦ â€Å"time†. The devastating earthquake shocked the nation, but brought out the best as they rose up to the occasion to help the victims.