“We are in dire need of help. The earthquake is not over for us yet. It shook our world.”
Those words by Wahab Hayat ring true for all affected by Monday’s Afghanistan earthquake which also reached into Pakistan. It may have only rumbled the earth for 45 seconds, but it’s still shaking up thousands of lives.
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via BBC[/caption]
At least 360 people were killed in the 7.5 magnitude earthquake, over 1,600 people injured, and over 4,000 homes destroyed. Now, just a few days after the earthquake, there is a plea for food, blankets, and other necessities. Most dire for them, however, appears to be shelter.
In the mountainous regions, heavy rain and even snow have made things nearly unbearable for the displaced in those areas. While it’s bad for adults, they worry more about the safety of the children.
“Thousands spent Tuesday night in near-freezing temperatures,”
reported the BBC.
Lacking proper shelter following a disaster is something we’ve seen before, and just recently, too. In April of this year, Nepal was hit with the strongest earthquake in its history. It killed 9,000 people, and destroyed around 900,000 homes. Displacement was widespread, and a
lack of shelter made it difficult for most, especially when Monsoon season came about.
To this day, nearly six months later, there is still a need of shelter in Kathmandu and other areas of Nepal. For those in Pakistan and Afghanistan, the need for shelter is become a matter of life and death.
While government agencies and charities work quickly to bring shelter, food, and other necessities to the hardest-hit regions, broken roads and landslides
made it difficult to reach some of the devastated regions. Others are still waiting for help to arrive.
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via Al Jazeera[/caption]
These events are tragic, but it is still important that we learn from them. When it comes to emergency supplies, are you prepared to take care of your family for up three days at the minimum? Relying on outside help could have you waiting for days. In the case of the people in Pakistan and Afghanistan, they’re sleeping in the cold because help hasn’t arrived yet. Once their food supplies run out, that’s it. Things aren’t going well for them.
Of course, it’s difficult to prepare for every single disaster, and every scenario that accompanies them. But you can prepare for the basic necessities. Food, water, and shelter are three of the most important areas to prepare for. Sometimes food and water take top priority. For these people, shelter is what they need most.
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Inside the Barebones tent[/caption]
Start off by having emergency blankets in easy to access locations. If you have a tent, make sure it’s in good condition. If you don’t have one, consider getting one. It’s much more pleasant sleeping in even a tiny tent than outside in the wind and the elements. If you have more room for tent storage, our Barebones tents are the ultimate emergency shelter.
But no matter what you choose, just make sure you choose
something. Here in Utah and other areas of the United States, the nights are already getting a wee bit chilly. If something were to happen to your home now and you were forced to sleep outside, would you have the proper shelter to keep you and your family warm? It’s something to start thinking about.
