A Chilling Prospect

Another item regarding the dire plight of Pakistani/Kashmiri earthquake survivors.

The Independent is reporting that 'at least 500,000' Pakistani earthquake survivors are without any shelter against the Himalayan winter just 'days away.'

From The Independent:

[snip]...Aid workers are scrambling to get tents to survivors in high mountain areas where snow may arrive any day, but the international relief effort is failing.

The problem is a severe lack of funds. Relief agencies warn that if they do not get adequate shelters to survivors before snow falls, thousands will die.

A desperate plea made to The Independent on Sunday, from a village in the mountains above the Karakoram Highway in Pakistan's North-West Frontier Province, illustrated the scale of the crisis.

"Please tell the British government to help us. Please tell anyone," Mohammed Idris said by telephone. "We have no tents and it is so cold at night. If we do not have tents soon the children will die."

Mr Idris said he was one of 4,000 villagers in Rajmerra with only 20 tents between them. On some nights, he added, temperatures already dip below freezing and water turns to ice. On other nights survivors are pelted with torrential rain, have nothing to sleep under and sit awake all night, shivering...[/snip]

Sobering.

Continuing..:

[snip]...Of an estimated three million people made homeless by the earthquake, only 10,000 are in official relief camps. Most remain in their often remote mountain villages, where aid is still struggling to get through. The charity World Vision last week said around 250,000 survivors had received no aid at all.

Aid agencies say they are doing what they can but governments have not put up enough money. The United Nations has received only $133m (£76m) towards an emergency appeal for $550m. It urgently needs $42m just to keep the current aid effort going.

Pakistan says that out of the $2bn pledged by foreign governments, it has received only $9.5m. The charity Oxfam says Britain has contributed only 24 per cent of what it says would be its "fair share", based on the size of its economy...[/snip]

The article goes on to discuss areas of light snowfall, where there is only four feet(!) of snow on the ground in winter, to places where the snows pile to over 10 feet(!). Even in the 'light areas' that's plenty to kill anyone inadequately protected. I've only given you a bit into the situation there. Read the article. Help if you can. I don't know which reputable NGOs are on the ground, but Reuters AlertNet has a menu searchable by various criteria.