Our hotel.
Trading in the rubble.
Where the shops used to be.
Clearing the remains of the town.
No machinery availible.
Nightime at one of the hundreds of refugee camps.
Wherever the clearing of the rubble happens the police wait in vehicles nearby in case bodies or valuables are discovered. Labouring seems to be the main source of employment in the city at present. The workers methodically smash the floors and ceilings of the ruined buildings and then wheelbarrow the remains into piles for collection. There does not seem to be any heavy machinery available to help them in their task. Many shopkeepers have begun to trade from the ruins of their premises by piling the rubble into makeshift counters. Paraffin lamps, firelighters, blankets and winter clothes are among the most popular items for sale. At night people huddle round fires at the roadsides.
All around the city are refugee camps run by NGOs. It is estimated that over 200,000 will spend this winter under canvas in Musafrabad and its surrounding area alone. Unfortunately 80% of the tents are totally inadequate for the approaching winter and two feet of snow that’s expected. The tent cities will also bring their own problems with medical aid staff expecting to se a huge rise in TB, Scabies, serious burns and water-born illnesses. The number of the destitute in Musafrabad perhaps gives an indication of the scale of the disaster that the NGOs are predicting over the next 3 months.
