People sleeping on the streets are tormented with rain and cold nights. Their flimsy makeshift shelters afford little protection. Thousands have been evacuated from unstable areas. Many homes were destroyed because they were built out of adobe clay bricks, and adobe turns to dust when it falls. Trapped people are asphyxiated when they breathe it in.
Many people wish to reconstruct their homes with more stable bricks and concrete blocks.
These building materials are more expensive and most cannot afford them. Although emergency aid from abroad has been arriving almost daily, aid is not coming quickly enough to many people. Survivors are faced with the long-term process of rebuilding, an overwhelming task in a country already plagued by deep poverty. Cash donations are preferred because they allow humanitarian aid groups to buy food, blankets, medicines, building materials, and other goods locally or regionally. This helps the local economy and eliminates shipping delays.