Battling against the weather to keep earthquake survivors alive

Heavy rain, which has been falling since Tuesday, is hampering relief efforts in areas of northern Pakistan devastated by Saturday's regional earthquake. In the town of Abbottabad, about 30 km south of the quake's epicentre, the rain has added to the human misery visible everywhere, including people with serious injuries lying outdoors in makeshift hospitals set up at the Ayub Medical Hospital, the Combined Military Hospital and at what is left of the district headquarters hospital. The earthquake has destroyed more than 80 percent of structures and buildings in parts of northern Pakistan and strong aftershocks are threatening buildings already damaged by the initial quake. Many cities and villages in Pakistan-administered Kashmir and the North West Frontier Province (NWFP), the most affected areas, have been wiped out. Overwhelmed, exhausted doctors, fighting fatigue, a lack of supplies and a shortage of manpower, spent much of Wednesday attempting to prevent the most gravely injured from becoming drenched in rain, spreading mats, plastic sheets and other items over beds or atop flimsy tents. The hail that fell with the rain has also brought biting cold, adding to the problems being combated in a desperate fight to provide what aid is possible. More than 4 million people are affected by the quake, of whom 1 million are in acute need of assistance and 2 million homeless. "We have come up from [the city of] Rawalpindi to help and we are doing what is possible. But we need more X-ray machines, bandages, surgical thread to stitch wounds, antibiotics, IV drips, glucose – almost everything is short or not available," said Imran Shahzad, one of the many young doctors volunteering to help where there is an acute shortage of medical personnel. In the chaotic situation that prevails at all hospital facilities in the town where up to 40 percent of buildings collapsed, many doctors are unable to adhere to even basic hygiene. Volunteer doctors at the Ayub Hospital admit all standards regarding HIV/AIDS or hepatitis infection are being largely ignored, given the emergency situation. "We are strictly using only disposable syringes, but we need more. We have nothing to help people," a doctor at a medical camp on the outskirts of the town said. The rain has also created landslides along some roads, adding to the difficulties faced in moving up goods and personnel. The situation caused by rain is said to be even grimmer in many of the devastated areas of Pakistan-administered Kashmir, where torrential rain began on Tuesday, flooding out relief efforts. Due to rain, helicopters, including US Chinooks capable of lifting heavy loads, were grounded for several crucial hours Tuesday. Trucks moving vital aid up to Muzaffarabad, capital of Pakistan-administered Kashmir were also forced in some cases to return to Islamabad.