On October 8, 2005, a magnitude 7.6 earthquake struck areas of Pakistan and northern India, claiming more than 87,000 lives and affecting at least 5 million people. CARE has been working in the affected area since the disaster, delivering emergency relief supplies and helping survivors rebuild their homes, infrastructure and lives.

Background
The destruction caused by the earthquake left survivors with few if any resources to begin rebuilding their lives. In some areas, nearly every home was destroyed and countless others were rendered unsafe. There was also significant damage to infrastructure including roads, health clinics and hospitals, schools and hundreds of miles of stone irrigation channels, affecting tens of thousands of acres of cropland. During the harsh winter, more than 300,000 earthquake survivors left their homes for the relative warmth and safety of displacement camps at lower elevations. Read more

CARE's Work: Pakistan
CARE is working in three districts of Pakistan's North West Frontier Province, with a focus on the remote Allai Valley in Battagram due to the level of devastation and the lack of aid from other sources. CARE's response has followed a three-phase strategy:

• Emergency Response: Immediately following the disaster, CARE distributed relief supplies and ensured the security and health of the survivors.
  
  
• Relief and Maintenance: From December to February, CARE continued with relief activities, making sure that families were equipped to survive the harsh Himalayan winter.
  
  
• Reconstruction: In March, as the winter snows retreated, CARE began helping survivors rebuild their communities and regain their livelihoods.

Read more about CARE's disaster response in Pakistan

CARE's Work: India
CARE's response in India, where the damage from the earthquake was less acute, focused on immediate relief hard-hit Uri and Tangdhar districts. With generous support from our donors, CARE was able to reach more than 37,500 women, children and men with lifesaving emergency relief, including:

• 22,000 blankets
• 7,500 water storage tanks
• 2,000 hygiene kits
• 7,500 waterproof tents
• 10,000 plastic floor mats
• 15,000 cold weather outer garments, called pherans
• 15,000 traditional kangdi heaters

CARE's disaster response in India ended after the initial delivery of emergency supplies to more than 7,500 families.

Overview

Background

CARE's Work

Women's Health Care on the Front Lines
CARE's Village Health Clinics in Pakistan

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