PAKISTAN EARTHQUAKE RELIEF

Just before the onset of the harsh Himalayan winter, a devastating earthquake hit Pakistan on 8 October 2005, killing an estimated 53,000 people, injuring 75,000 and making at least four million homeless.

The Pakistani government requested NATO assistance, and on 11 October the NAC approved SACEUR OPLAN 10305 to establish an air bridge to Pakistan using NRF air transport. COM JC Lisbon coordinated and delivered to Pakistan aid provided by the nations. On 21 October 2005 the NAC revised the OPLAN to provide additional assistance, and JC Lisbon deployed a Deployable Joint Task Force HQ (tactical) to Pakistan on 25 October, a force that was soon renamed the NATO Disaster Relief Team (NDRT) to better reflect its mission and avoid misperceptions by the Pakistanis. NATO assistance included Dutch military hospital, a Spanish engineering company and German helicopters. NATO forces completed their deployment to Pakistan on 6 December 2005 and the mission ended on 1 February 2006 at the request of the Pakistani government. NATO assisted in the urgent relief effort, airlifting close to 3,500 tons of supplies and deploying engineers, medical units and specialist equipment. This was one of NATO’s largest humanitarian relief initiatives, which came to an end on 1 February 2006.

Over time, the Alliance has helped to coordinate assistance to other countries hit by natural disasters, including Turkey, Ukraine and Portugal. It does this through its Euro-Atlantic Disaster Response Coordination Centre.