 Most
people look forward to snow as one of mother nature's most
peaceful and beautiful expressions, but the villagers in
the mountainous region of Kashmir see things quite
differently. For them, each snowfall is a menacing threat
to their existence. It puts their very lives in jeopardy.
On October 8, 2005, an earthquake measuring 7.6 on the
Richter scale occurred 10 kilometers
(32,808 feet) beneath the Pakistan-administered region of
Kashmir. Because the quake was relatively shallow, the
destruction was widespread and immense. The worst hit
areas were Pakistan-administered Kashmir,  Pakistan's
North-West Frontier Province, and the western and southern
parts of the Kashmir valley in Indian-administered
Kashmir. The official death toll according to the
Pakistani government is 87,350, making it one of the
deadliest earthquakes in history.
Sadly, the death toll from the earthquake itself was
only the beginning of this tragedy. Over 3.3 million
people lost their homes in the quake and must now face the
challenge  of
surviving the winter without shelter in the bitterly cold
mountains. "I was lucky to have survived the
earthquake, but I know that I'll soon die from starvation
and the freezing weather," remarked one helpless
villager, his heavy words
striking our hearts. Some estimate that the onset of
winter could push the death toll from the earthquake to
over 100,000 people.
Despite decades of conflict over the disputed region of
Kashmir, India and Pakistan put the welfare of the
survivors above their rivalries and opened their borders
to refugees. The armies of both countries have put down
their guns and dispatched helicopters and trucks to the
disaster areas to help protect survivors. Volunteers from
non-governmental organizations are working hard  to
bring relief goods and medical supplies to those most in
need. People in the mountains call out for help, and
people outside the mountains respond to their calls. At
this moment, the light of humanity is glowing like a
torch, driving away the darkness and coldness from the
hearts of the survivors.
Tzu Chi volunteers are among those that have brought
hope to those whose lives were shattered by the
earthquake. They followed the Jhelum River valley in the
Punjab province of Pakistan, distributing medical
supplies, food, and survival gear as they went. They asked
for nothing in return. Their only goal was to bring warmth
to the survivors.
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