O 201320Z NOV 08
FM AMEMBASSY ISLAMABAD
TO SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 0271
AMEMBASSY KATHMANDU IMMEDIATE 
AMEMBASSY BANGKOK IMMEDIATE 
AMCONSUL KARACHI IMMEDIATE 
AMCONSUL LAHORE IMMEDIATE 
AMCONSUL PESHAWAR IMMEDIATE 
USMISSION GENEVA IMMEDIATE 
USMISSION USUN NEW YORK IMMEDIATE 
INFO NSC WASHINGTON DC
SECDEF WASHINGTON DC
JOINT STAFF WASHINGTON DC
USCENTCOM INTEL CEN MACDILL AFB FL

UNCLAS ISLAMABAD 003656 
 
 
AIDAC 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: EAID ECON PGOV PK PINR PREL PTER
SUBJECT: USAID/OFDA PAKISTAN EARTHQUAKE SHELTER UPDATE 
 
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SUMMARY 
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¶1.  On October 29, a magnitude 6.4 earthquake in 
Balochistan Province of Pakistan caused significant 
damage to the traditional mud and timber houses, 
primarily affecting Ziarat and Pishin districts, with 
some damage also reported in Harnai district. 
Different assessments produced a range of estimates of 
the number of houses damaged or destroyed, including 
the Government of Pakistan (GOP) military estimate of 
2,000 houses and the U.N. Multi-Cluster Rapid 
Assessment Mechanism (MCRAM) finding of approximately 
7,600 houses.  The GOP, local groups, and humanitarian 
organizations immediately responded by providing 
emergency relief supplies, including blankets, tents, 
and plastic sheeting.  While some humanitarian 
organizations plan to provide winterized tents, most 
are focusing on the provision of transitional 
shelters, which are generally built from locally 
available materials that can be reused to construct a 
permanent structure. 
 
¶2. The USAID Disaster Assistance Response Team 
(USAID/DART) quickly determined that shelter was one 
of the primary humanitarian needs in the aftermath of 
the October 29 earthquake, and focused resources on 
contributing to the response in the shelter sector. 
The USAID Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance 
(USAID/OFDA) shelter specialist provided technical 
assistance to GOP agencies and humanitarian 
organizations, while USAID/OFDA provided immediate 
shelter support through tents, blankets, and plastic 
sheeting distributed by the International Committee of 
the Red Cross (ICRC), Save the Children (SC)/US, and 
Relief International (RI).  USAID/OFDA is working 
closely with NGO partners to provide timely and 
appropriate transitional shelter, in line with the 
shelter cluster and the GOP National Disaster 
Management Authority (NDMA) shelter strategies, to 
help affected populations survive the winter season. 
End Summary. 
 
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SHELTER SITUATION 
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¶3. On October 29, a magnitude 6.4 earthquake in 
Balochistan Province of Pakistan caused significant 
damage to the traditional mud and timber housing 
stock, which are the predominant form of housing in 
the region.  Ziarat and Pishin districts were the 
hardest hit by the earthquake, with some damage also 
reported in Harnai district.  Different assessments 
produced a range of estimates of the number of houses 
damaged or destroyed, ranging from the GOP military 
estimate of 2,000 houses to the U.N. MCRAM finding of 
approximately 7,600 houses.  The Balochistan Rural 
Support Program (BRSP) reported that more than 10,000 
houses were damaged, but indicated that the assessment 
considered every house with any cracks in the mud 
walls or roofs as structurally unsafe. 
 
¶4. Part of the difference in the housing numbers 
lies in varying definitions of what constitutes a 
house in the affected areas, where many extended 
families live in compounds with multiple rooms facing 
a courtyard.  Humanitarian organizations participating 
in the shelter cluster agreed on a standard of one- 
room shelter units meant to house an individual 
family.  Therefore, each nuclear family in the 
extended family is to be provided a one-room 
transitional shelter.  Different organizations also 
use different estimates of family size, but generally 
agree that nuclear families in the affected areas are 
large, ranging from 7 to 10 persons. 
 
¶5. Based on the initial assessment results, 
including the BRSP assessment, the shelter cluster 
identified a need ranging from 10,000 to 17,000 such 
one-room units to provide transitional shelter for 
populations to survive the regionQs harsh winter 
season, after which the GOPQs rebuilding programs are 
meant to begin.  The chairman of the GOPQs NDMA has 
specifically requested that humanitarian organizations 
provide transitional shelter using more permanent 
materials to meet medium-term shelter needs.  The NDMA 
indicated that shelter was the first priority, and 
that all affected populations should be out of non- 
winterized tents by the beginning of the winter 
season, with winterized tents only used if necessary. 
On November 17, USAID/OFDA staff received reports that 
the NDMA is planning to take on an increasing 
coordination role, assigning each humanitarian 
organization providing transitional shelter to a 
specific affected location, a role often carried out 
by the shelter cluster. 
 
¶6. The GOP, humanitarian organizations, and a 
variety of local groups have already distributed 
approximately 14,000 non-winterized tents as of 
November 10, according to the NDMA, as well as plastic 
sheeting, blankets, and other relief supplies meant to 
meet immediate shelter needs.  Other humanitarian 
organizations, such as the Salvation Army, Oxfam, 
SC/UK, and the American Red Cross, planned to provide 
winterized tents.  On November 10, the NDMA estimated 
that approximately 2,500 winterized tents had been 
distributed or were in the pipeline to be distributed. 
 
¶7. However, most humanitarian organizations 
providing shelter assistance are now supporting 
winterized transitional shelter, built from locally 
available materials that can be reused to construct a 
permanent structure.  The International Federation of 
Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) has 
pledged to construct at least 2,000 transitional 
shelter units in coordination with the Pakistan Red 
Crescent Society.  The Turkish Red Crescent is setting 
up 10 winterized container structures designed to 
accommodate up to 120 families.  Islamic Relief is 
providing 200 transitional shelter units, while the 
organization Islamic Hands is also providing 200 
units.  USAID/OFDA is planning to support non- 
governmental organizations (NGOs) to build 
approximately 700 winterized transitional shelters. 
The International Organization for Migration, the U.N. 
Human Settlements Program, and BRSP have built a 
demonstration shelter in Quetta, comprised of bamboo 
roof framing, corrugated galvanized iron (CGI) 
sheeting, plastic sheeting, and bags filled with sand 
and dirt.  USAID/OFDA plastic sheeting provided by RI 
was used in the Quetta model.  The organizations plan 
to build similar demonstration shelters in affected 
communities and rapidly implement a larger-scale 
building program. 
 
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USG RESPONSE 
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¶8. On November 5, the USAID/OFDA shelter specialist 
arrived in Pakistan, and immediately traveled to 
earthquake-affected areas in Balochistan Province to 
conduct a shelter assessment and meet with 
representatives from the GOP military, provincial 
authorities, and humanitarian organizations. 
Following the initial assessment, the shelter 
specialist met with a number of humanitarian 
organizations and government agencies in Islamabad to 
help provide technical support for the emerging 
shelter strategy, building on experience from the 2005 
earthquake response.  On November 10, the shelter 
specialist participated in the initial meeting of the 
shelter cluster, chaired by IFRC. 
 
¶9. USAID/OFDA has contributed USD 1 million to help 
ICRC to provide immediate humanitarian assistance, 
including shelter and emergency relief supplies.  As 
of November 13, ICRC reported providing 690 tents and 
1,475 blankets in Ziarat District and 150 tents, 345 
tarpaulin sheets, 330 blankets, and 186 mats in Pishin 
District.  ICRC is also providing food, health, and 
water sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) assistance. 
 
¶10. On November 6, to help meet immediate shelter 
needs, USAID/OFDA airlifted 530 rolls of plastic 
sheeting, valued at approximately USD 260,000 
including transport, from the USAID/OFDA warehouse in 
Dubai to Quetta, the provincial capital of Balochistan 
Province.  The shipment was received by RI, with 
logistical support from RIQs local partner the Taraqee 
Foundation.  RI has distributed the plastic sheeting 
to villages in affected areas of Pishin and Ziarat 
districts through a network of local organizations. 
The sheeting should benefit at least 26,500 people by 
improving wind and water proofing of non-winterized 
tents provided by other humanitarian organizations and 
the GOP.  The sheeting can also be reused in 
transitional shelter. 
 
¶11. USAID/OFDA also provided USD 100,000 to SC/US to 
locally procure additional plastic sheeting.  SC/US 
has distributed the 4,000 sheets to affected 
populations in Ziarat District, along with tents and 
emergency relief supplies provided by SC/UK. 
 
¶12. To date, USAID is the only major donor focusing 
on providing winterized transitional shelter. 
USAID/OFDA is planning to provide at least 700 
winterized transitional shelter units through NGO 
partners to earthquake-affected households in Ziarat 
and Pishin districts.  Together, the NGOs will provide 
transitional shelter to an estimated 6,600 people. 
 
¶13. The NGOs are pursuing a self-build approach, 
where the NGOs will hire local craftsmen to build 
demonstration shelters in the community, and help 
train affected families to build a shelter sufficient 
for at least the winter.  The NGOs are consulting with 
local communities on appropriate shelter design using 
locally available materials, as well as participating 
in the shelter cluster, now based in Quetta.  NGO 
designs include a roof made from CGI sheeting, with a 
timber framework and an exterior made from plastic 
sheeting backed with insulative materials.  While 
unable to visit the initial NGO transitional shelter 
models due to security considerations, the USAID/OFDA 
shelter specialist has worked closely with the NGOs on 
the shelter design to ensure that it is earthquake- 
resistant, low cost, and meets the international 
SPHERE shelter standards. 
 
¶14. USAID/OFDA is also supporting complementary cash- 
for-work and water, sanitation, and hygiene programs, 
in conjunction with the transitional shelter programs. 
Cash-for-work programs will provide for skilled labor 
support for shelter construction, and help to inject 
needed currency into the local economy.  The NGOs will 
also help affected households to rebuild communal 
latrines damaged or destroyed by the earthquake.  Such 
latrines are largely used by female members of the 
household for increased privacy and safety, and 
therefore address important protection concerns from 
the community. 
 
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CONCLUSION 
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¶15. The USAID/DART quickly determined that shelter 
was one of the primary humanitarian needs in the 
aftermath of the October 29 earthquake, and focused 
resources on contributing to the response in the 
shelter sector.  The USAID/OFDA shelter specialist 
provided technical assistance to GOP agencies and 
humanitarian organizations, while USAID/OFDA provided 
immediate shelter support through tents, blankets, and 
plastic sheeting distributed by ICRC, SC/US, and RI. 
USAID/OFDA is working closely with NGO partners to 
provide timely and appropriate transitional shelter, 
in line with the shelter cluster and the GOP NDMA 
shelter strategies, to help affected populations 
survive the winter season. 
 
PATTERSON