The First 264 Hours PRCS KP Response

Report by Zeeshan Anwar

PESHAWAR: Pakistan Red Crescent Society Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, whose role is to serve humanity during disasters. Being auxiliary to the government, the reason that whether it was the devastation of the 2005 earthquake, the 2010 floods or the IDPs operation, as well as the COVID19 Pandemic situation, the Red Crescent society Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was at the forefront. In these 17 years, direct beneficiary numbers have reached more than 14 million people.

Pakistan, especially Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, has been badly affected by the current flood. It directly affected 852,503 people in the province. According to data compiled by the Pakistan Red Crescent Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 47,286 houses were destroyed, and 74,543 were partially damaged. Two hundred ninety-three people died, and 499 people were injured. Di Khan appeared to be the most affected district by recent floods, where the number of houses destroyed was 39,337. As a result of this natural disaster, the Pakistan Red Crescent society Khyber Pakhtunkhwa launched a Mega relief operation to alleviate the people’s grief.

Initially, search and rescue operations were carried out by the PRCS KP volunteers in collaboration with Rescue 1122. They were provided clean drinking water, food, tents, tarpaulin sheets, hygiene kits, buckets, wood burning stoves, kitchen sets, medical facilities, cash family grants, mobile phone cards, blankets, jerry cans and clothes. According to the data, the SITA water plant has been installed to provide clean drinking water in Karak and Tank districts.

 These plants can convert any water into drinkable. Similarly, a cash grant of Rs 16,000 per family has been distributed to 900 families in both the districts, hygiene kits and water jerry cans to 1158 families, and mobile phone super cards have been distributed to 900 families for restoration of family links. Providing free treatment and medicines to 2022 people is also part of the relief operation.

 Meanwhile, in Nowshera and Charsadda districts, 400 families have been provided tents, blankets, tarpaulin sheets, 600 jerry cans, buckets and hygiene kits, free treatment and free medicines to 2705 people. At the same time, 2679 people have been provided food and 3272 litres of clean water. District DI Khan team has provided food to 875 people in emergencies, 542 people were provided First Aid assistance, and 471 cooked food was provided during a crisis in the Swat district. In addition, 82 injured were provided primary medical care and 1272 bottles of water, while 150 tents, tarpaulin sheets, 300 blankets, 150 hygiene kits, and 500 people were provided clean clothes.

In Chitral, 45 tents, tarpaulin sheets, 45 hygiene kits, and 15 jerry cans were provided to the victims. In the Dir district, 250 injured have been provided first aid, tents for 50 families and tarpaulin sheets. So far, 210 families of flood victims have been provided tents, tarpaulin sheets and jerry cans in the Kohistan district.

These are the relief that Pakistan Red Crescent society Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has provided so far to the flood victims. The International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, the International Committee of the Red Cross, the Norwegian Red Cross and the German Red Cross are supporting us. Soon, more relief works will be started in Charsadda Nowshera, Swat, Bahrain, Tank, DI Khan, Chitral and Kohistan. The relief operations will be based on free medical aid, ration supply, rehabilitation of victims, and training programs to minimize the loss of human lives during natural disasters.

 Apart from this, Soon, PRCSKP will launch a free ambulance service in the province for the welfare of the people. Start training programs for the youth, organize international donors conference to work with other welfare organizations for those seeking help in the province and free dialysis centres of two international standards in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, which are soon to be established in Peshawar and Haripur.