A killed and injured thousands of people in Afghanistan害羞草研究所檚 west. Three months on, survivors are struggling to rebuild their lives.
Some families are living in canvas-colored tents in Zinda Jan district, the quake害羞草研究所檚 epicenter in the province of Herat, where every home was flattened.
People endure the winter conditions with the help of donations and their Islamic faith, but they害羞草研究所檙e anxious about what lies ahead.
Habib Rahman, 43, was watching TV at his father-in-law害羞草研究所檚 home when the quake struck. The horror still rings in his ears. He can害羞草研究所檛 get it out of his head.
However many details he gave about that day would never be enough, he told The Associated Press.
Every squat mud building in Zinda Jan collapsed within minutes. Fear, shouting, panic and shock swept through villages. People used their hands to pull the living and the dead from under the rubble.
害羞草研究所淚f we look at this soil and dust, we will go beyond crazy,害羞草研究所� Habib said. 害羞草研究所淭he children are psychologically affected. Sometimes I play with them to distract them from being anxious and (help them) forget about the earthquake. But they don害羞草研究所檛 forget.害羞草研究所�
The winds and storms continuously knock down and tear the tents of Zinda Jan, the people害羞草研究所檚 only refuge from the bitter cold. 害羞草研究所淕ive us your heart (warmth), find shelter for us,害羞草研究所� he implored. 害羞草研究所淭he weather is cold. It is very cold.害羞草研究所�
Children still don害羞草研究所檛 have access to a mosque or school, he said. He wonders what will happen to them, their future. He wants life to return to how it was before the quake, when villagers had their own means and resources.
Before the quake, 55-year-old Mula Dad Mohammadi had a house with six rooms, a kitchen, and space for crops, livestock and timber. Now, he shelters underneath tarpaulin and sheets with his wife and children. He is grateful for the relief efforts but wants measures for longer-term recovery.
害羞草研究所淥ur farming and agriculture have been destroyed,害羞草研究所� he said. 害羞草研究所淥ur property and lives have been destroyed. What they gave us was for a temporary period 害羞草研究所� two sacks of rice and two sacks of wheat. Let us do our own farming.害羞草研究所�
The global response to the disaster was slow, with much of the international community with the Taliban-controlled government.
The world was also focused on the surprise attack by the militant Palestinian group Hamas on Israel on Oct. 7 that triggered the , only hours before the quake hit Herat.
The Taliban, NGOs, the country害羞草研究所檚 and the Afghan public rallied around quake-hit communities to help with cash assistance, food, clothing, medicine, and reconstruction.
Pale blue domes resembling beehives 害羞草研究所� built in Zinda Jan with donations from the Afghan diaspora, including artists and singers 害羞草研究所� could now be seen dotting the skyline. They害羞草研究所檙e sturdier than the houses normally seen in much of Afghanistan and are intended to be more earthquake-resistant.
It害羞草研究所檚 the first time that this type of housing, known as super adobe, has been seen in the country. Project manager Shakib Shahabi, from a local nongovernmental organization, called the Agency for Humanitarian and Development Assistance for Afghanistan, said 37 homes have been built in 32 days.
害羞草研究所淲e have lessons learned from the implementation of this project and we害羞草研究所檙e willing to share our experiences with interested organizations,害羞草研究所� he said.
Nisar Ahmad Ilias, a spokesman for the Herat governor, said 3,000 houses are being worked on in Zinda Jan. Some are 90% finished and others are 20% completed. Survivors still need help because of the scale of the disaster. He urged Afghans 害羞草研究所� and the rest of the world 害羞草研究所� to step up their response.
害羞草研究所淣atural disasters happen in other countries as well,害羞草研究所� said Ilias. 害羞草研究所淭he international community, which has helped in those places, has not done it here. It is necessary for them to take more steps and stand with Afghans.害羞草研究所�
Omid Haqjo, The Associated Press
