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New quake strikes India By Susan Kim, Disaster News Network, February 9, 2001 BALTIMORE -- Another earthquake rattled India's already-devastated Gujarat state Thursday night, injuring at least 25 people. A 5.3-magnitude quake and at least 10 aftershocks struck the Kutch district. The epicenter was some 13 miles northeast of Bhachau, a town that was hard-hit by the Jan. 26 temblor that killed 17,000 people. Reports indicated that many of the injuries in this latest quake were sustained when people jumped from their windows in panic. Some 300,000 people were left homeless after January's earthquake, and most are still sleeping outside under plastic sheets. They'll have to live in the open for months to come, according to reports by Action by Churches Together (ACT), a worldwide alliance of churches and related agencies. Lutheran World Relief (LWR) reported that the focus of relief has shifted in the two weeks since the first severe earthquake. Many relief teams have switched from preparing hot meals to providing dry rations for people to prepare themselves. Instead of dressing wounds in the streets, medical teams are establishing aid posts. And, with no more hope of finding people alive under rubble, efforts have focused on cleanup, sanitation, and rebuilding. Relief workers estimated it will take six months to carry out any reconstruction in remote villages. "The people are left with no property. The only savings they had were in the form of homes and cattle. And many villages are still waiting for help," observed Rainer Lang, an ACT representative. Work crews are still constantly removing rubble, and many victims are still being unearthed. ACT partners Churches Auxiliary for Social Action (CASA) and Lutheran World Service-India are responding to thousands of earthquake survivors. CASA is distributing relief kits, kitchen utensils, and tarps, and is also tending to survivors' medical needs. LWS-India is providing blankets and plastic sheeting. "We are reaching some remote villages where no aid has arrived," said Daniel Chelliah, Asia program director for LWR. Such places will increasingly become the focus of aid work, he added. LWR plans to focus on 55,000 families for its long-term relief efforts. So far LWR has provided $40,000 for earthquake relief in India. Many other denominational response groups are providing financial support for ACT and its partners. The Salvation Army continues to offer aid as well, focusing on providing housing and medical aid. The Salvation Army is distributing tents in Bhuj, where the January earthquake caused the greatest damage. Four thousand sweaters were sent from The Salvation Army's knitting factory in Bangladesh to help displaced people cope with cold nights. "The villages near Bhuj are extremely isolated," said Maj. Mike Olsen, international emergency services coordinator for The Salvation Army. "The atmosphere is heavy and dusty as the cremations continue. While it is warm during the day, the temperatures drop drastically at night." A Salvation Army mobile medical team is treating several hundred people each day. Relief officials are still urging people to contribute cash, not material goods. "It is far better and cheaper to buy any materials we need in the region. Flying goods from other parts of the world is too slow and costly," said Olsen. The Family Care Foundation is providing medical and relief supplies as well. According to ACT, both the Indian government and Gujarat state authorities have been heavily criticized for their response to the earthquake, which local media reports have called chaotic and uncoordinated. Gujarat has been badly hit by disasters. In 1998 a cyclone hit the area followed by a severe drought for the past two years. |
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