On October 8, 2005, a magnitude 7.6 earthquake rocked Pakistan, India, and Afghanistan. The quake was centered at Muzaffarabad, the capital of Pakistani-administered Kashmir, where an estimated 90% of buildings were destroyed in the earthquake. Many have been left homeless by the widespread destruction.

     Aftershocks continued to shake the region days and weeks after the initial quake, and mudslides added to the injuries and destruction. The mountainous terrain of the region made it very difficult for rescue and relief efforts to reach survivors. ARC has had operations south of the earthquake region, in Quetta, Pakistan, serving Afghan refugees since the invasion of Afghanistan in 2002. ARC Pakistan deployed staff from operations in Quetta and its head office in Islamabad to provide relief in the Bagh district, within the earthquake zone.

Milestones:

On Sunday, October 16, 2005, ARC opened a basic health clinic in Ratnoi, in Bagh district, which has served 250 people per day since it opened. Two days later, on October 18th, ARC coordinated the first helicopter delivery of relief supplies since the earthquake hit. Several more airlifts of supplies followed that initial delivery.

With emergency health care and supplies being delivered to the people, ARC staff turned its attention to providing people with shelter from the cold and snow of winter, helping thousands of families find materials and build 'one warm room' for their families.

ARC also worked with the World Food Programme (WFP) to distribute emergency food relief to tens of thousands of people for the next six months. ARC delivered more than 3.5 million pounds of food.