Kashmir Earthquake Relief (KER)

Dispatch 19

KER expands relief efforts to quake-hit Rafiabad area
January 26, 2006

Today, Suhail and I traveled to Rafiabad to meet with our KER volunteer recruits at Tragpura. The drive took about two hours following small roads that wind through Handwara and Langate before reaching Rafiabad. The drive was quite breath-taking: passing through idyllic villages through the heart of rural Kashmir. We were the only the vehicle on these roads – its January 26th, i.e. India’s Republic Day, a day which is almost curfew-like. One the way we stopped at various places to have an assessment of quake damage in this area. We found the situation to be very similar to that of Kupwara: hundreds of people had lost their homes and there was a clear need for KER’s presence.

We had a good meeting with the group of Kashmiri youth, mostly college students, who have volunteered for KER. This group has been very active in social work in the area: they have organized themselves to be available to donate blood for those patients who are not able to afford it. A very simple act of giving, but no less meaningful especially considering that Rafiabad is known to be a “hot” area conflict-hit Kashmir.

Our KER volunteer team in Rafiabad is:
Tanveer Ahmad Bhat
Hilal Ahmad Rather
Muhammad Imran Dar
Sheikh Firdous
Tanveer Ahmad Tantray
Aafaq Ahmad Masoodi
Ishfaq Ahmad Rather
Abid Masoodi

After our introductions, I explained to this group the short-term and long-term goals of KER and why we have initiated work in Rafiabad. We had a detailed discussed of the post-quake situation in Rafiabad. Having set a goal of providing relief to 500 of the neediest households, it was decided that we would repeat the same basic process that followed during the just-completed house-to-house survey in Kupwara. The KER volunteer team in Rafiabad will complete the survey while we are finishing the relief distribution in Kupwara. If need be, we will send a team of KER volunteers to assist in the survey.

The list of quake-hit villages and areas in Rafiabad to be surveyed are:

1) Trugpora (Soghpora, Nowgam, Logriwarpora mohallas), 2) Ruhama (Khan, Warpora, Matipora mohallas), 3) Budden, 4) Duchenpora, 5) Wampora, 6) Kushipora, 7) Chijhama 8) saripora, 9) Watergam (Gund Karim Khan, Patpora, Malpora mohallas), 10) Nadihal, 11) Chukulu, 12) Ferozpora, 13) Hadipora, and 14) Dangibacha (Batsuma). While the survey is going forward in Rafiabad, we also decided that a KER base camp would be established at Tragpura and that we would begin stockpiling relief materials here as soon as possible. Our hope is to commence with a distribution program in Rafiabad immediately on the heels of the current distribution program in Kupwara.

The return journey was long – we were stopped at many checkpoints by the Indian military due to the January 26th situation. We reached back here in Kupwara at night, long after sunset. - Usmaan Ahmad