Canadian Steven Matthews, a member of World Vision’s rapid-response team, in Mansehra, a district of Pakistan hard-hit by the earthquake.

United Nations helicopters—some displaying a small Canadian flag—fly continually amid the towering peaks of Pakistan to relieve those hit by the major earthquake of October 8, 2005. Those affected in the disaster are scattered across a far-flung region that includes some of the world’s highest peaks.

Before the earthquake, several rural areas in northeastern Pakistan were hard to reach due to their rugged terrain; since the quake hit, access is worse: landslides destroyed several of the few roads in this difficult region. Thus, the only way to bring relief to tens of thousands of survivors is by air. This is not an easy task. “Winds are unpredictable,’’ says Philippe Martou of Belgium, Chief of Air Operation for the United Nations Humanitarian Air Service (UNHAS). ‘‘You have to know how to fly between peaks and slip through natural corridors created amid the mountains.’’

CIDA is contributing in several ways to international efforts to relieve earthquake victims. One of the contributions is funding four United Nations helicopters. The Canadian flags affixed to these aircraft bear witness to Canada’s participation in the UN mission.

Philippe says he is very grateful for Canada’s assistance: “To date, Canada has contributed the most to the cost of United Nations helicopters sent to the scene after the earthquake.” Without the necessary funding, the helicopters would have stayed grounded.

Daily challenges

Since October 2005, helicopters and crews have defied winds to meet people’s urgent needs. The aircraft usually leave Islamabad in the morning, their holds filled with equipment vital to relief operations such as tents, blankets, and medicine. Their destinations vary: these helicopters serve scores of small villages. Emptied of their precious cargo, helicopters fly back to Islamabad or one of the region’s major cities. The return flights also bring back the injured who require urgent medical care, and sometimes, family members.

Philippe and his team work fifteen hours day after day. They are asked to fly all over the region, so they must set priorities. Deliveries to locations unreachable by road top the list; but his team must also weigh the importance of the content shipped to the various stricken areas. Needs change, and are constantly being re-evaluated.

In a crisis such as this, says Philippe, it is important to work in cooperation with local authorities to avoid accidents and chaos. When a helicopter touches down in an area that has not yet received relief, it can unleash a frenzy of desperation: without soldiers present, people may rush the helicopter to seek medical care for loved ones, and risk being injured themselves. “That’s only natural,’’ says Philippe. ‘‘People want to obtain vital supplies for them and their families to survive—at any cost.”