Period covered for this update: 13 May to 13 Oct 2013
CHF 258,670 has been allocated from the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies’ (IFRC) Disaster Relief Emergency Fund (DREF) to support the Indian Red Cross Society (IRCS) in delivering immediate assistance to some 10,000 beneficiaries (approximately 1,000 families).
Summary: An earthquake with a 5.8 magnitude struck Jammu and Kashmir state on 1 May which caused severe damage to houses and other infrastructure in Doda and Kishtwar districts. Government reports as of 5 May confirmed 11,856 damaged houses and leaving at least an equal number of families in need of temporary shelter. The Indian Red Cross Society (IRCS) immediately mobilized relief supplies liketent and woollen blankets from its disaster preparedness (DP) stocks from Bahadurgarh warehouse near the capital city New Delhi. This operation is to enable prompt response for the earthquake affected areas through deployment of disaster response teams, support distribution and replenishment of the DP stocks.
A month into the earthquake relief operation, a larger disaster (monsoon flash floods) struck the northern state of Uttarakhand in June 2013. This resulted in IRCS having to shift its immediate focus on the Uttarakhand flood relief operation while concurrently managing the ongoing earthquake operation. Challenges in the Uttarakhand operation required much attention and had stretched the human resources of IRCS.
Despite the difficulties, this earthquake operation was completed within the operation timeframe of 13 October 2013. Local human resources were effectively mobilized for the operation, whereby part of the field operation cost was saved.
Of the total allocated DREF, CHF 200,816 was spent. The balance of CHF 57,854 will be returned to DREF pot.
The major donors and partners to the DREF are the Canadian Red Cross/ Government, Belgian Red Cross/Government and Tsunami Residue Fund. Besides DREF, the Iranian Red Crescent has donated 1,500 family tents in-kind to IRCS bilaterally.
IFRC, on behalf of the National Society, would like to extend thanks to all donors and partners for their generous contributions to the Jammu and Kashmir earthquake relief operation.
