Emergency food assistance to earthquake-affected population in Herat province ltpgtltbrgt


lt/pgtltp class="MsoNormal"gtOn 7 October 2023 at around 11.00 local time, a 6.3
magnitude earthquake struck 40km west of Herat City in Herat Province, western
Afghanistan. Several aftershocks have occurred since, with the initial quake
felt in neighboring Badghis and Farah provinces.lt/pgt

ltp class="MsoNormal"gtTo date, 1,023 people are reported to have been killed and
1,663 people injured across eleven villages of Zindajan district, Herat
Province, where 100 percent of homes are estimated to have been completely
destroyed. A further 516 people (203 men and 213 women) are reported to be
missing from the district.lt/pgt

ltp class="MsoNormal"gtIn total, 11,585 people (1,655 families) are assessed to
have been affected by the earthquake across Zindajan (1,320 families), Injil
(150 families), Gulran (95 families), Kohsan (60 families) and Kushk
(Robat-e-Sagani) districts (30 families). The number of casualties and
households affected is expected to rise as remote areas are reached and
assessments are completed.lt/pgt

ltp class="MsoNormal"gtThe majority of those injured are being treated in the Herat
Regional Hospital, which serves as the main referral point for earthquake
victims. The hospital is currently treating 552 patients (81 men, 199 women,
229 children and 43 unknown). It has also confirmed the deaths of 252
individuals.lt/pgt

ltp class="MsoNormal"gtOn 8 October, 121 households were displaced fromlt/pgt

ltp class="MsoNormal"gtWFP fleet trucks and a Country Office response team have
been deployed to affected areas. WFP has emergency food assistance for an
initial 3,000 households ready to distribute, pending results of rolling
vulnerability assessments. In the immediate aftermath of the earthquake, WFP
has already started distributing 1.5 MT of emergency rations of High Energy
Biscuits (HEB) to 700 affected families on 08 October. lt/pgt

ltp class="MsoNormal"gtWFP plans to use AHF’s contribution to provide emergency
lifesaving food assistance to people affected by the earthquake primarily in
Zindajan (2,260 HH),Injil (500 HH), Gularan (500 HH), Kohsan (500 HH), Kushk
(500 HH), Rabat e Sangin (500 HH) districts in Herat province for one months.
The first month with 100% in-kind assistance and the second month with 80%
in-kind and 20% cash-based transfers. These districts have been selected based on severity of damage as assessed and advised by OCHA.  caseload of 5,260 Households (36,820
beneficiaries) will each receive 100% ration in a food basket consisting of 100
kg of wheat flour, 9.1 kg of oil, 12.5 kg of pulses, 1 kg of salt, with one months of assistance. The size and composition of the assistance is tailored to
local preferences, demographic profile, activity levels, climatic conditions,
local coping capacity and existing levels of malnutrition. It is designed to
meet the nutritional requirements of a population rather than individuals. WFP
provides 2,100 calories per person, 10-12 percent of which come from protein
and 17 percent from fat (according to WHO/FAO guidelines), and micronutrients
such as vitamin A, iron, iodine, and zinc.lt/pgt

ltp class="MsoNormal"gtWFP will start implementation as soon as the proposal is
approved on 09 October. WFP's will utilize existing resources already available
in-country to be used for this intervention in order to ensure timely
assistance to the targeted beneficiaries within the project timeframe. Food
items procured with AHF funding, in particular, those with long lead times and
therefore a significant time lag before arrival in Afghanistan, will be used to
replenish WFP's food pipelinelt/pgt





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