Overview
Impact | Canadian Aid at a Glance | Links
On October 8, 2005, a major earthquake (7.6 on the Richter scale) struck Pakistan in the Muzaffarabad region, some 95 kilometres northeast of Islamabad. The impact of the quake was also felt in India, Afghanistan, and China. Parts of India and Pakistan have also experienced significant aftershocks.
Following an initial assessment of what was needed, Canada has committed $40 million to relief efforts. To encourage charitable giving, Canada will match—dollar-for-dollar—all donations by individual Canadians to registered charitable organizations for relief, rehabilitation, and reconstruction in the region. The matched funds will be placed in a pool, and Canadian development organizations can submit proposals for relief and reconstruction to this pool. With the cost of deploying the Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART), the Government of Canada’s response to the South Asian earthquake is estimated at more than $57 million.
Impact
The earthquake caused over 73,000 deaths and 69,000 injuries in Pakistan, as well as the destruction of more than 200,000 primary and secondary schools. In India, the disaster has caused 1,300 deaths and more than 7,500 injuries. The affected population is over 3.5 million.
Canadian Aid at a Glance
A Pakistani man carries an injured child
on his shoulders through the rubble
at the epicentre of the earthquake in
Balakot, Pakistan, where entire communities
have been wiped out.
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Preliminary Contribution: $300,000
Major Contribution: $40 million
Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART)
Preliminary Contribution: $300,000
- $100,000 to the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies for needs assessment.
- $200,000 to the Canada Fund for Local Initiatives - Pakistan.
Major Contribution: $40 million
- $25 million to support UN-related relief, rehabilitation and reconstruction efforts, the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, and the International Committee of the Red Cross.
- $15 million for the South Asia Earthquake Matching Fund.
Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART)
The Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) left Canada on October 15 with some 150 Canadian Forces personnel. As part of Operation PLATEAU, the DART is set up in northern Pakistan to provide additional medical staff, as well as drinking water.
To learn more about Canada's Response...
Links
Office of the Prime Minister of Canada
Foreign Affairs Canada
International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies
Citizenship and Immigration Canada
United Nations Emergency Response—Pakistan
National Defence
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