South Asian earthquake: Relief effort saves lives, stems losses,
but reconstruction tasks loom large In the wake of a successful
relief effort that helped to prevent additional casualties in
quake-devastated areas, the aid community is facing a new
crucial task of restoring livelihoods to hundreds of thousands
of people left homeless and destitute by the disaster. On 8
October 2005, a devastating earthquake struck South Asia killing
tens of thousands and leaving many more homeless and in danger
as a bitter winter approached. An intensive effort to find,
rescue and feed survivors was closely followed by the media
around the world due to the sheer scale of the disaster - 73,000
people perishing in Pakistan and 1,300 in India, a crisis that
UN Emergency Coordinator Jan Egeland characterized as the "worst
logistical nightmare" the world body had faced. Despite the
challenges, the concerted international and national effort
succeeded in preventing a feared second wave of deaths, massive
population movements and br