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Six aftershocks have been recorded in the hard-hit Indian of Gujarat since
Tuesday evening, according to press reports. The aftershocks ranged between
3.0 and 3.6 on the Richter scale, according to the Indian Meteorology
Department. More than 300 aftershocks above magnitude 3 have struck
Gujarat since the January 26 earthquakes, which claimed more than 18,000
lives (Agence France-Presse);Y

Y An estimated 146, 751 people were injured in the January 26

earthquakes, according to the United Nations Office for the
Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA);Y

Y On February 13, reported that during the first two days (February 11-12)
of an important measles vaccination campaign, more than 14,000
children under the age of five had been reached. Eighty teams of health
workers fanned out across the earthquake zone in Gujarat to deliver
measles vaccine and a dose of vitamin A to each child. Vitamin A is
usually coupled with UNICEF-supported vaccination campaigns
because it strengthens children's immune systems and helps protect
them from diseases. Y

Y åMeasles can spread very quickly in an unprotected population,å said

Dr. Y.N. Mathur, the head of UNICEF's state office in Gujarat.
åEspecially with large numbers of children sharing confined tents,
measles can spread quite rapidly from child to child. This is a
preventive measure.å The vaccination campaign in its first phase aims to
reach an estimated 400,000 children under age five. A second round is
set to begin in about ten days and will seek to reach several hundred
thousand more. The vaccination teams are made up of local health care
workers and volunteer doctors and nurses. Y

Y åIt may take some time to restore a full range of basic health services,å
Dr. Mathur said. å ut a campaign like this shows what can be done
even in the toughest conditions. It's an important harbinger of a
reviving health care network.å The vaccination campaign, led by the
 Indian government, is being supported by UNICEF, the World Health
Organization (WHO), and local and international non-governmental
organizations (NGOs). Y

Y As of February 9, the state government of Gujarat has received 388,987

blankets, 105,000 plastic sheets for shelter, and 64,272 tents, according to
the UN Disaster Management Team (UNDMT);Y

Y 813,914 homes have been damaged or destroyed in the hard-hit Indian

state of Gujarat (OCHA); Y

Y 37.8 million people have been affected in India (OCHA). Hundreds of

thousands are homeless and in need of immediate relief including
water, food, shelter, and protection from disease, according to press
reports; Y

Y Many hospitals have been destroyed. Patients are being treated in the
open air ( ritish roadcasting Corporation). The few hospitals that were
not severely damaged are operating at full capacity; Y

Y OCHA issued this statement on February 9: åThere is an urgent need for

expertise and machinery for demolition of damaged buildings; water
drilling equipment; water purifiers; tents and temporary shelters; and
surgical appliances and devices for amputees;å Y

Y Most of the victims are from the western Indian state of Gujarat (near
Pakistan), with severe damage afflicting the city of Ahmadabad
(population: 4.5 million) and the municipality of huj (population:
175,000). The Indian Government reports that the epicenter was about
12 miles northeast of huj. huj has reported 15,700 people dead and
45,000 injured (AP and OCHA). In Ahmadabad, the death toll is 750
people (OCHA). An estimated 600,000 people are homeless in
Ahmadabad -- more than 50 high-rise buildings collapsed (AP and
C). Afraid that new earthquakes might occur during the evening,
thousands are sleeping outdoors in the chilly night air 0



 Fifty percent of the buildings in huj have been destroyed and
95 percent are no longer habitable (OCHA). huj's three hospitals have
been severely damaged ( C). A tremor with a magnitude of 5.0 shook
Gujarat on February 3 ( C); Y
Y As of February 5, 266 planes carrying relief supplies have landed at
Ahmadabad airport (UNDMT);Y

Y A preliminary survey in Gujarat indicates that more than 70 percent of

houses have collapsed in 207 villages (AFP). Over 400 miles of roads
have been badly damaged (UNDMT); Y

Y Thousands of Indian volunteers are making a critical difference in the

huge relief effort. Many have traveled great distances -- two-day train
trips -- to help rescue victims and assist tens of thousands of people
rebuild their lives 0


. Huge communal kitchens have
opened in the quake zone (AP); Y

Y On February 7, the state government of Gujarat estimated that damages

from the January 26 earthquakes total $4.5 billion (AP); Y

Y On February 5, UNICEF reported that as many as 5 million children

under the age of 14 may have been affected by earthquakes in Gujarat,
including nearly 2.5 million who have been severely affected -- young
people who have lost family members, homes, schools, and their sense
of security; Y

Y UNICEF reported on February 5 that between 1.5 million and 2.5

million children under the age of 14 in Gujarat need humanitarian
assistance urgently. These children are living in areas where the
earthquakes damaged or destroyed at least 60 percent of structures; Y

Y According to a UNICEF field assessment and preliminary figures from

the state government of Gujarat, some 15,000 primary schools -- half of
all those in the state -- have been damaged or destroyed. Millions of
children are affected. Preliminary reports from UNDMT indicate that
6,698 schoolrooms collapsed and 17,033 were damaged. The total
number of classrooms in earthquake-affected districts is 47,181; Y

Y å oth children and teachers have suffered. Getting back into classrooms,
even if in tents, will help restore normalcy for everyone. We must not
wait,å said Maria Calivis, the head of UNICEF's India office. åWe cannot
overstate the value of a school in helping a community to recover. The
 first spaces cleared by the bulldozers should be set aside for
classrooms;å Y

Y UNICEF-supported medical teams are reaching remote villages in areas

that have been devastated by the earthquakes. A food distribution
system is also operating successfully in hard-hit zones (



); Y

Y The media and others present at the scene are reporting that psychosis
seems to have set in among some survivors regarding the recurrence of
another powerful earthquake. People are seeking out safer places for
refuge. The critical requirement now is for medical facilities and related
supplies that the wounded desperately need. Survival kits and
emergency shelter for the displaced are also urgently needed;Y

YY

Y Y
OY Electrical power has been restored in nine towns and 892 villages
(UNDMT);Y

OY Underground water pipes and water sources have been damaged

in huj, forcing the government of India to dispatch water tanker
trucks and search for new water sources -- although the region
has endured a severe drought over the past two years;Y

OY The strongest earthquake, measuring 7.7 on the Richter scale,

occurred at 8:46 AM local time on January 26, according to the
 United States Geological Survey. The earthquakes struck while
Indians were celebrating the country's 51st Republic Day, a public
holiday commemorating the adoption of the constitution. As with
public holidays in the United States, government offices and most
businesses were closed. In the Gujarat town of Anjur (population:
90,000), about 400 schoolchildren and their teachers were covered
by tons of falling masonry while walking in a Republic Day
parade. Eight were pulled out alive0 ;Y

OY There have been many incredible stories of survival. A brother

and sister in huj were rescued on February 5 after surviving for
10 days trapped on the second floor of their damaged building.
After a quick medical check up, the siblings -- in their 40s -- were
strong enough to walk (AP). Seventeen-year-old Arjun hai was
rescued on February 3 in the village of Sikaravadi. He was pulled
to safety after being trapped in a well for eight days (Reuters). The
C reported that a 102-year-old woman, Veji hen, was pulled
from the rubble of her home in achao township after surviving
for four days. 
 

 reported Mrs. hen was
relieved to find her 82-year-old son was still alive;Y

OY Reuters reported that it has been nearly 200 years since Gujarat
was hit with an earthquake of this magnitude. A quake of similar
force struck in 1819. The last major earthquake to hit India
occurred in 1999 and killed about 100 people in the lower
Himalaya region, according to press reports. It registered 6.8 on
the Richter scale. An 8.5 earthquake killed 1,538 people in the
northeastern state of Assam in 1950;Y

OY The earthquakes came only a few months after several Indian

states were hit with a punishing monsoon season that led to the
worst flooding in India in 22 years. Millions of people were
affected, including an estimated 21 million in the state of West
engal. Y