Houses shook like packs of cards and glasses crumbled like frozen ice. Each tremor brought back the nightmarish memories of the Gujarat earthquake, which caused phenomenal destruction

"I thought it was doomsday! I had my customary bath and was getting dressed to leave for the temple on, when the earth began shaking and crumbling below us. I just managed to grab my two children and rushed out before my concrete house collapsed and was razed to the ground," said Rekhi, now a refugee.

The earthquake that shook Jammu and Kashmir on 8th October 2005 was the severest in the state in over 120 years. Measuring 7.4 on the Richter scale, it claimed approximately 1400 lives and rendered about 1 lakh people homeless. The areas that were worst affected were those of Uri and Tangdhar in Baramulla and Kupwara districts. There was extensive damage to life and property. The region has a difficult topography and providing aid was not easy.

Stepping up rescue and relief efforts, troops joined by local people struggled to access remote villages and sifted through a rubble of flattened houses pulling out more bodies in quake-hit Kashmir valley as the death count in the killer trembler reached 1340, while 4373 were injured in the quake.

The picture of more death and devastation unfolded as army and air force personnel accessed areas hitherto untouched by rescue efforts even when fresh tremors jolted parts of the state, keeping up the panic among residents. Braving rains, panic-struck victims spent overnight under the open sky complaining of poor response from the administration in providing relief.

As reported by a state government official, 3000 houses were razed in Tangdhar alone. Over 73,000 houses were damaged out of which 42,750 were completely destroyed.

Nearly 40 Border Road Organization personnel were reported to have been buried by a massive landslide on Srinagar-Muzaffarabad highway between Uri and Aman Setu, a portion of which also caved in.

Joining the elaborate aid operations in quake-hit areas of Jammu and Kashmir, HelpAge India along with its partners sent a large number of urgently-required relief material for the affected people, including tents and blankets.

It was so disheartening to see the elderly people in shackles wondering about their homes. The stress and trauma of losing out everything to the killer quake had a very negative impact on their psyche. This is where we stepped in to provide them with some hope and restore their dignity.

Immediate Concerns
+ Provide services for immediate needs of quake victims such as medical, food, shelter etc
+ Resurrect extensive damage caused to housing stock
+ Provide aid to many roofless, landless people with no means of survival
+ Deal with extensive loss of livestock that severely affected the productive capacity and sustainability of the people

Objectives
+ To reduce the risk of illness, malnutrition and death amongst the older persons and their families in the affected districts
+ To create opportunities for income generation and livelihood
+ To increase the effectiveness of humanitarian aid activities in addressing the specific needs of older persons

Rehabilitation programmes

Celebrating Urs
One day prior to the day of distribution of Bukharis on 21st January, we went on an unusual visit since our humanitarian assistance had started. After so much of death, destruction & chaos, now it was time to celebrate Urs of a 16th century Sufi saint at shahdra sharief's century old shrine which brought some happiness and indicated the return of normalcy in the quake torn region to a little extent. The shrine was beautifully decorated and people came there to pay obeisance.

People, even from far flung areas flocked this place in huge numbers on this occasion. The local priest, Muazim told us that, "This time the gathering is very small because people are busy in rebuilding their shattered lives. We did some decorations & are preparing Prasad for the devotees because we strongly believe that it is with his (Saints) blessings that we have survived." He further added that the support extended by HelpAge India in the area made celebrations possible.

Marriage
After the doomsday, it was now time to gather threads and move on with life. It was the occasion of marriage at one of our beneficiary's home- Mr. Sarfaraz, who is also our resource person in the community. In the night we went to attend the marriage to get a feel of their culture. We also wanted to share some happy moments with them. The marriage was performed according to sharia (Islamic law) & it was very strange to know that the wedding couple had not seen each other just to mark their cultural values and we took a chance to show groom his beloved's photograph. We always take care not to be too intrusive because the area has its own cultural sensibilities and are much more civilized than us. It was good to see that the marriage ceremony was being held in the shelters provided by HelpAge.

Distribution Programme
HelpAge India carried out the relief aid distribution actively in the affected areas. We made sure all the diseased persons, more so the elderly people who were terribly shocked, benefited out of the distributed aid. We worked hard with older persons to restore their dignity and provide them food security and hope for the future.

Achievements
We are really satisfied that our objectives have been achieved in the sense that we have been able to bring some harmony into the valley. The elderly persons of the community have been provided with emotional and economical support. We organized relief camps for the victims. The rehabilitation programmes have helped them to get back to their normal lives notwithstanding the loss they have suffered.