UN agencies are on hand as a new deadly earthquake strikes northern Afghanistan

The head of the World Health Organization, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, announced that first responders from the UN agency were already “on the ground” to support the care of infected people.

The United Nations World Food Program also highlighted its support to affected communities and emergency response as it begins a needs assessment.

Reports indicate that the earthquake occurred near the city of Mazar-i-Sharif at around 1 a.m. local time, causing buildings to collapse on those sleeping inside.

Footage posted on social media from the Shrine of Hazrat Ali – also known as the Blue Mosque – showed people wandering through the rubble on the grounds of the site revered by Shiite Muslims.

Although there were reports of deaths in the most affected mountainous province of Samangan, initial assessments conducted from the air indicated that signs of damage were less than initially expected.

The UN overflight, which was carried out with the assistance of Swiss authorities, showed no signs of the mass displacement that might have been expected if the earthquake had been more devastating.

“We visited the main populated areas where most of the settlements are located in the earthquake-affected area.

“Fortunately, we have seen very little widespread destruction…compared to the devastating scenes we saw in Kunar just a few weeks ago,” said Richard Trenchard, the acting UN Humanitarian Coordinator in Afghanistan.

Still suffering from the Kunar earthquake

The new crisis comes in the wake of a 6.0-magnitude earthquake that occurred on August 31 and destroyed thousands of homes and vital infrastructure in Kunar Province, eastern Afghanistan. The disaster caused the displacement of hundreds of thousands of people and left half a million people in need of urgent medical assistance.

UNAMA/Nazifullah Salarzai

The Shrine of Hazrat Ali in Mazar-i-Sharif was reportedly damaged.

“What began as an acute emergency has now evolved into a displacement crisis, with families enduring long periods of stay in temporary settlements amid escalating health risks,” the World Health Organization said.

In addition to the lack of safe drinking water for displaced families, the UN agency warned of the spread of open defecation and poor access to health services for women in particular, due to “the absence of female staff and the lack of privacy.”

The World Health Organization indicated that the health needs of mothers and newborns remain critical for those affected by the August earthquake amid significant reductions in funding for relief work, in addition to immunization, non-communicable disease case management, mental health, and psychosocial support.

On the ground in Afghanistan, UN agencies and partners say cooperation and local leadership will be crucial to strengthening the recovery response.

Efforts are being made to pre-position supplies, mobilize surveillance teams to prevent disease outbreaks and prepare affected hospitals to resume operations.

Build back better

Afghanistan is vulnerable to earthquakes because it lies on many tectonic fault lines that often cause highly destructive surface tremors.

To improve the resilience of vulnerable communities in the face of these recurring shocks, the United Nations specialized agency for human settlements (Habitat) said that Afghan builders trained using local construction techniques are one important way to help save lives.

“While everyone is still assessing the impact of the earthquake and looking at the casualties, it is important for people to realize that earthquakes will happen in Afghanistan again and again,” said Stephanie Luce, the agency's senior human settlements officer.

“It is important to look at materials, but also at construction methods that are an integral part of the country's cultural heritage,” Ms. Laws added. “Bringing in new construction materials and methods that are not close to the people and where people cannot be trained en masse will not help the country. We need to act now and ensure that cultural heritage is preserved in relation to settlement structures when rebuilding.”

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