UN World Food Program appeals for USD19mn to provide emergency food in quake-hit Afghanistan

United Nations' World Food Program on Wednesday appealed for $19 million to provide emergency assistance to tens of thousands of people affected by a series of devastating earthquakes and aftershocks that has rocked western Afghanistan.

Ana Maria Salhuana, deputy country director of World Food Program in Afghanistan, said it was helping survivors but it urgently needed more funding because “we are having to take this food from an alrey severely underfunded program.”

group said it is working to provide emergency food assistance to 100,000 people in region.

“Disasters like se earthquakes pound communities who are alrey barely able to feed mselves back into utter destitution," WFP said.

A 6.3 magnitude earthquake struck part of western Afghanistan on Sunday, after thousands of people died and entire villages were flattened by major quakes a week earlier. It was fourth quake U.S. Geological Survey has measured at 6.3 magnitude in same area in just over a week.

initial earthquakes on Oct. 7 flattened whole villages in Herat province and were among most destructive quakes in country’s recent history.

WFP said staffers responded within hours of first earthquakes, distributing fortified biscuits, pulses and or food items to affected families in destroyed villages.

“An estimated 25,000 buildings have been destroyed," group said a statement. “ survivors are currently sleeping in tents next to rubble of ir homes, desperate and afraid of furr earthquakes and aftershocks.”

latest quake was centered about 30 kilometers (19 miles) outside city of Herat, capital of Herat province, and was 6 kilometers (4 miles) below surface, U.S. Geological Survey said.

More than 90% of people killed were women and children, U.N. officials said. quakes struck during daytime, when many of men in region were working outdoors.

Taliban officials said earlier quakes killed more than 2,000 people across province. epicenter was in Zenda Jan district, where majority of casualties and damage occurred.

WFP said affected families will need help for months with winter just weeks away. It said that if re is funding, emergency response will be complemented by longer-term resilience programs so vulnerable communities are able to rebuild ir livelihoods.

UN body was forced earlier this year to reduce amount of food families receive and to cut 10 million people in Afghanistan from life-saving food assistance due to a massive funding shortfall.

In dition to earthquake response, WFP also urgently needs $400 million to prepare food before winter, when communities are cut off due to snow and landslides. In Afghanistan, se include communities of women who are being increasingly pushed out of public life.

initial quake, numerous aftershocks and a third 6.3-magnitude quake on Wednesday flattened villages, destroying hundreds of mud-brick homes that could not withstand such force. Schools, health clinics and or village facilities also collapsed.

Besides rubble and funerals after that devastation, re was little left of villages in region’s dusty hills . Survivors are struggling to come to terms with loss of multiple family members and in many places, living residents are outnumbered by volunteers who came to search debris and dig mass graves.

Earthquakes are common in Afghanistan, where re are a number of fault lines and frequent movement among three nearby tectonic plates.