Earthquake Relief
East Amherst doctor organizes WNY South Asia Earthquake Relief Effort
O by JILL SCHMELZER Reporter

A family who lost their home after the earthquake ate dinner together outside the tent they now live in.

O n Oct. 8, 2005, 2.5 million people were left homeless, tens of thousands were injured and more than 70,000 lost their lives in a horrific earthquake.

The temblor, O measuring 7.6 on the Richter scale, shook South Asia, transforming towns and villages into rubble.

East Amherst resident Dr. Zaki Masud traveled to his native country of Pakistan to visit his family three months after the devastating natural disaster. While there, he traveled to Kashmir in northern Pakistan, where the earthquake hit.

The devastation he saw eventually led him to start the Western New York Earthquake Relief Effort.

As a cardiologist and photographer, Masud decided to go to the epicenter of the earthquake in Muzaffarabad, Pakistan.

"I thought I'd go there to see for myself and then decide what I'd do best," Masud said, noting he went to take photographs of the area and learn what life was like for the survivors.

The area leading into Kashmir was very beautiful, Masud said, but as he began the descent into the valley where the city is located, shock took over his emotions.

The children who have survived the 2005 devastating earthquake haven't lost their sense of playfulness. One child set up a game of cricket and was playing with items made out of the rubble that was left behind.

A sea of tents, rubble and filth was all that was left of the once beautiful area. The animals and humans now lived together in tiny tents occupied by 10 or more people.

The city is at the juncture of two rivers. For lunch, Masud ate at a once fancy restaurant. But now, half of the building has crumbled into the water.

Buildings once made of concrete and brick, are now in small pieces in the streets. No foundation was left standing, Masud said.

As he traveled the city, Masud would stop and talk to some of the survivors. He spoke to a police officer with a broken leg, who was living in a tent with 12 others. He asked the officer, "Are you getting the help you need?"

The man replied, "We are getting the best help that can be provided to us."

Dr. Zaki Masud met with youths who helped raise money for the South Asia Earthquake Relief Effort. They sold bracelets in memory of the survivors and the 70,000 people who lost their lives that day.

Turkey, the United States and the United Nations have sent aid, but it isn't enough.

Many of the people he saw were left handicapped. Masud visited a hospital, which was once the largest in the area, but now just one wing of the building is left standing. The university was demolished - there was not a single room left, he said.

"That's when it hit me," Masud remembered. "It left a very depressing effect on me."

Upon visiting one of the former all-girls schools, he learned that the vast majority of students and teachers died in the earthquake. It hit at 9 a.m. when classes were in session. Shoes and purses were all that was left of the departed.

The people in the rubble didn't get rescued, Masud said. He learned that when the building collapsed, the girls were trapped, and no help was available for two to three days. The roads were destroyed, and there were not enough helicopters to rescue anyone who was trapped.

Those who survived continue to learn in makeshift classrooms made from tents donated by the military, Masud said.

"The way (the events) were described to me, it was like a picture. I could see it," Masud added.

It wasn't until his journey back to his hometown that the realization of the devastation came over him.

"This was a humongous human tragedy," he said. "Kids will suffer for the rest of their lives because they were left disabled or orphaned."

While it was a depressing drive back to where his family lives, Masud said he still didn't think he would do anything to help the people.

It wasn't until later that night, when a young man asked Masud what he was going to do to help.

Masud said he would probably send money, but the man replied that it wasn't enough. The man said it was people like Masud who could do the most for those left behind. Masud is established and successful. He could make a difference.

With that thought, Masud brainstormed ways to do more than just send a check. More than 8,000 schools were destroyed. He questioned how this generation of children will be educated and the long-term effects if they don't get the schooling they need. After pondering these questions, Masud decided he wanted to raise money to build a school for girls.

His mother was a principal of an all-girl school, and he believed a nation could be built if the mothers were educated. He also thought the government aid might favor the males, because Pakistan is a male-dominated society.

"I was wrong," he admitted. "The government decided to build both."

Once Masud traveled back to Western New York, he talked to friends and other Buffalo-born Pakistanis and started a fund to raise the money needed to build the school.

Approximately $300,000 would be neede d to educated 100 to 150 students. Those who have been instrumental in the not-for-profit organization are Brad Hall, Amy Jo Ogde n and Julie Reid.

An account was set up with the Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo, and the money raised will go directly to the relief effort.

"I have been amazed at how many people, who didn't even know me, have offered to help," Masud said.

A gala will be held to raise funds for the school at 6 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 28 at the Adam's Mark Hotel, 120 Church St., Buffalo. The cost is $100 per person and includes dinner, entertainment and an auction.

To make a donation to the WNY South Asia Earthquake Relief Effort, send a check to: Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo, 712 Main St., Buffalo, N.Y. 14202. Remember to add the organization's name in the memo section of the check.

To donate an item for the auction, call Reid or Ogden at 835-2966.

e-mail: JSchmelzer@beenews.com