Herat Earthquake – Operational Update

It was one of the deadliest earthquakes to hit Afghanistan in years, where thousands of people have been killed and injured. In the hardest-hit areas, some villages were destroyed, homes were reduced to rubble, and medical facilities were overwhelmed. Hundreds of families are reported to have been displaced to Herat City. Just days later, on 11 October, a second 6.3 magnitude earthquake struck the same region, with an epicenter 28km north of the city of Herat.

• The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) team in Herat has been working in close cooperation with the Afghan Red Crescent Society (ARCS) and the authorities to deliver essential services to the injured
• Emergency medical supplies, including dressing materials and intravenous kits, were delivered to the Herat Regional Hospital, which is the primary referral hospital for the region, to treat the injured. The ICRC team has also been in close contact with the prison health clinic to ensure the authorities there have medical supplies to respond to the emergency.
• The support to the Provincial Public Health Directorate (PPHD) authorities included providing the regional forensic services with body bags and personal protective equipment (PPE) and technical advice.
• The ICRC provided the ARCS with 25 dressing kits and 16 intravenous kits to support ARCS mobile clinics, which were swiftly deployed in the affected area. The ARCS was also provided with PPE to ensure volunteers could safely manage the dead in a dignified and safe manner. In addition, the ICRC gave financial support to enable ARCS staff and volunteers to respond to the immediate needs of the affected population.
• The ARCS has sent 16 mobile health teams (MHT) to treat the injured people in the affected areas.
• The ARCS and Red Cross Red Crescent Movement partners are assessing the needs of the communities affected. ARCS teams are distributing food and other items such as blankets, tarpaulins, tents, sets of kitchen utensils as well as water buckets to the families affected.
• The ARCS Restoring Family Links (RFL) team was deployed to the affected area with the support of the ICRC to see if assistance is needed to reunite separated family members.