Situation

On January 26 2001, an earthquake measuring 6.9 on the Richter scale shook Gujarat in South-West India in the morning. The town of Bhuj at the epicentre was reduced to rubble, and many nearby towns faced large-scale damage.

According to officials, the deathtoll was around 20,000 with 166,000 injured and over 600,000 left homeless following the devastation. There were corpses trapped in buildings and laid out on the street, and these presented a health hazard. Much of the water was contaminated leading to fears of cholera, gastroentiritis, hepatitis, diarrhoea and dysentry.

Response

HF established an emergency relief centre in Khabra, just 40 miles from the earthquake epicentre. Volunteers ran an open-air kitchen which provided over 18,000 hot meals. Medical camps were setup to provide support for victims with injuries, and also to provide longer-term care for trauma. Tents were also sent out to support over 400 families. Finally, shipments of good quality clothing, shoes and other essentials were sent out to the region.

Outcome

Victims helped	> 5,000 people
Aid delivered	> £40,000
Mandays of effort	4,400 days
Project Duration	3 months

Large numbers of victims were given safety, security and care under the supervision of the HF team in India. Gradually, they started to rebuild their lives, but the HF Relief Centre ensured that immediate injuries or trauma were dealt with sensitively on location.

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