october 2015 earthquake in afghanistan: need for improved tools for rapid damage assessment

NEEDS ASSESSMENTOCTOBER 26TH AFGHANISTAN EARTHQUAKE

OCTOBER 28, 2015

AT 1:39 pm, OCTOBER 26, 2015, THE TECTONIC PLATES

IN THE VICINITY OF AFGHANISTAN THAT HAVE

BEEN MOVING FOR 200 MILLION YEARS MOVED

ONCE AGAIN

KEY ASPECTS OF THE EARTHQUAKE

• The U.S. Geological Survey said the epicenter was in the far northern Afghan province of Badakhshan, which borders Pakistan, Tajikistan and China.

• The quake was 213 kilometers (130 miles) deep and the epicenter was 73 kilometers (45 miles) south of the provincial capital, Fayzabad.

The epicenter of the earthquake was near the

Afghan city of Jarm, a rural and sparsely populated

area.

LOCATION OF EARTHQUAKE

NOTE: THE DEPTH OF THE EARTHQUAKE FOCUS—213 KM–

NOT 10 KM AS IN THE 2005 KASHMIRE EARTHQUAKE, KEPT

THE DISASTER FROM BEING EVEN WORSE

AFGHANISTAN AND PAKISTAN

INITIAL IMPACTS OF THE EARTHQUAKE

• The death toll, which reached at least 300 late Monday, is expected to rise sharply. 

• In Pakistan, at least 228 people were killed, with more than 1,000 injured,

• The corresponding tolls in Afghanistan were lower, but included 12 school girls who died in a stampede .

IMPACT ASSESSMENT:WED., OCT.26TH

• The death toll has reached 360 with over 2,000 injured, but both tolls are still expected to rise sharply. 

NEEDS ASSESSMENT:WED., OCT. 28TH

• . Earthquake-affected communities are in dire need of food support, winter kits, emergency health assistance and non-food items..

NEEDS ASSESSMENT:WED., OCT. 28

• Many have lost their homes, in addition to personal belongings and food stocks, as freezing temperatures affect the northern parts of both countries.

• Many areas are still inaccessible due to landslides, road damage and disrupted communication networks.

•

Afghanistan’s and Pakistan’s armies are

leading the initial search and rescue and response

operations

LANDSLIDES HINDER OPERATIONS

AFGHANISTAN: TAKHAR PROVINCE

AFGHANISTAN:KABUL

AFGHANISTAN:KABUL

AFGHANISTAN:KABUL

PAKISTAN

PAKISTAN

PAKISTAN

PAKISTAN: SOLDIER LOADING RELIEF SUPPLIES

PAKIISTAN DECLARED THAT IT DID NOT NEED INTERNATIONAL

ASSISTANCE

The impacts in Pakistan were far less severe than in the

October 2005 earthquake that killed 78,000

THINKING ABOUT THE FUTURE

REGIONAL EARTHQUAKE RESILIENCE:AN IMPOSSIBLE DREAM,

OR IS IT?

YOUR COMMUNITY

DATA BASES AND INFORMATION

HAZARDS: GROUND SHAKING GROUND FAILURE SURFACE FAULTING TECTONIC DEFORMATION TSUNAMI RUN UP AFTERSHOCKS

• MONITORING• HAZARD MAPS• INVENTORY• VULNERABILITY• LOCATION

RISKACCEPTABLE RISK

UNACCEPTABLE RISK

BOOKS OF KNOWLEDGE

• PREPAREDNESS• PROTECTION• EM RESPONSE• RECOSTRUCTION AND

RECOVERY

EARTHQUAKE DISASTER RESILIENCE