Earthquake Update

BBC reports more than 19,000 casualties so far. Most of the damage has been in rural areas, in small towns and villages. Our cook, who is from Bagh, left immediately to find out if his family was alright. We got a call from him last night. His brother's family had all died. Their bodies were lying under the rubble, waiting to be evacuated. Baba couldn't go ahead because the roads were all blocked from landslides. Mamu tells me about sixty per cent of the immigrant worker population in Lahore have gone back to their villages. Towards the earthquake, in search of loved ones.

Please donate generously to relief efforts. Here are some links for organisations doing relief work in Pakistan. If our Indian friends could share some links where donations to people affected in India and Kashmir can be made, I'd be grateful. Funds can be sent by check or credit card to:

A P P N A (Association of Pakistani Physicians of North America)
6414 S. Cass Avenue
Westmont, IL 60559
Phone: 630-968-8585 or 630-968-8606

Memo: Earthquake Fund 2005

and . . .

Bilquis Edhi Relief Foundation
45-11 National St.
Corona, NY 11368

Phone: (718) 639-5120 and (718) 639-0633

For those within Pakistan, I think the best place to leave your donations would be with the Edhi foundation.

If you're in Islamabad, AMAL is collecting clothes and medicines for delivery to the disaster areas. The drop-off point for donations is the AMAL office located at #7, St.62, G-6/4, Islamabad. In case of questions you can contact Nighat Rizvi (0300-400-3175), Imran Rizvi (0300-855-1208) and Mehrunnisa Yusuf (0300-500-2657). Please donate the following items:

• Clothes, shoes
• Dry food items such as lentils, sugar, milk, water etc.
• Basic medicines and medical supplies
• Blankets and pillows
• Tents
• NO PERISHABLE ITEMS and NO MONETARY CONTRIBUTIONS.

Thank you. And please remember those affected in your prayers.


Update: Sujatha points to this website (South Asia Quake Help) which lists phone numbers for Red Cross/Red Crescent contacts in the main South Asian cities and information for those wishing to donate.