PAKISTAN - “The mountain made a strange noise like rrrrr. I thought a monster was lifting the mountain and shaking under my feet”. This was the description of the October 2005 earthquake given by a boy in Java camp, North West Frontier Province (NWFP). He was one of the lucky survivors, but more than 19,000 children lost their lives in the quake, which killed more than 73,000 people.

Pakistan faces a host of natural and human induced hazards that threaten to affect the lives and livelihoods of its 157.9 million citizens. From floods to earthquakes, landslides, cyclones and drought, the country had more than its share of disasters before the October quake. Some two million people were affected by flooding and landslides caused by heavy rain and snowfall during January and February 2005. More than 425 people were killed and 40,000 acres of land under cultivation was destroyed. Houses, roads, schools and hospitals were severely damaged.

Heavy torrential rainfall during the monsoon season (June to September), and melting snow in the north cause frequent flooding in Pakistan. The Punjab’s major rivers often flood surrounding plains, wrecking havoc on irrigation and drainage canals, electricity and telephone lines, road links, bridges and other infrastructure.

It is estimated each major flood costs the country almost US$60 million in lost lives and livelihoods.

And natural disasters don’t just impact an area for a specific period of time – the 2005 earthquake and subsequent aftershocks rendered NWFP more susceptible to landslides. A ‘Red zone’ has been declared around the town of Balakot, indicating it is unfit for reconstruction. Whole communities will need to be relocated.

The poorest always suffer the most – not only because their physical living conditions are usually less robust and well positioned to withstand disasters, but because they do not have the resources to cope with economic losses and start again.

Before the quake, World Vision helped facilitate disaster preparedness training in schools through local partners – training that helped teachers save and protect lives in the quake. World Vision’s Humanitarian Emergency Assistance programme will build on the work conducted by local partners focusing on emergency response and disaster mitigation, focusing on the most vulnerable communities.

Activities will include provision of food assistance and other non-food items that allow for survival and meet essential needs in future emergencies, as well as building the capacity of partners and local government.

To help communities mitigate and prepare for disasters World Vision will assist in developing community-level preparedness committees, draft disaster preparedness plans, including pre-positioning of relief goods and will conduct disaster mitigation training in schools and communities. Focus will also be on reforestation or other environmental vulnerability reduction, and infrastructure improvements.