Emergency Shelter Cluster: Baluchistan Earthquake Response
Meeting Notes, Quetta, November 15, 2008
NEXT MEETING: Quetta
NEXT MEETING: WAM Kottli
ESC meeting - Co chair with PDMA
Friday 21 November 10.00am Quetta.
Special ESC Operational meeting
Monday 16 November 10.00 – 12.00
Wam Kottli
Cluster Coordination Contacts
ESC Coordinator: Irfan Hameed
ESC Advisor : Graham Eastmond
ESC Information Manager: Jan-Willem Wegdam
ESC technical engineer: Imran Siddique
esc.coord.baluchisan@gmail.com
esc.advisor.baluchistan@gmail.com
esc.im.balchustan@gmail.com
imran.siddique@ifrc.org
More information at http://groups.google.com/group/ESC-Baluchistan
Action Items
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5.
6.
Report weekly progress to IM before Thursday. 3W for shelter will be delivered by ESC IM to UN
Habitat.
IM: provide standard list with village / UC / District, items. -> gaps + target area’s
Cluster members to provide details of their plans for coming 3 weeks (shelter, tents, NFI’s)
Ensure that all affected populations receive assistance including Afghans.
Circulation of guidance notes on fire safety in tents.
TWIG to meet and carry out peer review of emergency shelter solutions. Meeting Sat 15 Nov
5:30pm
Organizations represented at this meeting
See attached presentation list
1. Welcome and introduction
Abdul Rehman Buzdar (DG PDMA) thanks everyone for coming and for the support to
the people of Balochistan. He explained that still more shelter is needed and that to be
able to do that sharing information is very important.
2. Summary of ESC meeting held in Islamabad on Monday 10 November
 The first ESC coordination meeting was chaired by the ESC coordination team in
Islamabad.
 A large number of organizations and some donors were present. It has been
valuable to discuss the shelter progress, challenges and plans there, to create a
good platform for forthcoming coordination in Baluchistan.
3. Field Observations by operational agencies:
General Observations
 ICRC, Taraqee, CRS and some others include ‘cash for work’ / ‘food for work’
approach in their programs
 It is important to warn people for the danger of fire danger in tents, one incident
has occurred. Public Information should be disseminated in the shelter trainings
and through public information. Guidance is available and the coordination team
will circulate to the ESC.
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Emergency Shelter Cluster: Baluchistan Earthquake Response
Meeting Notes, Quetta, November 15, 2008
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Agencies ask for minimum performance / construction standards for the
transitional shelter. This will be discussed in the Technical Working Group.
The WASH cluster stresses to include WASH activities / facilities into the shelter
plans. Currently the WASH cluster is developing its strategy and has identified a
shortfall in the provision of latrines in line with the planned shelter response.
ICRC may have capacity to support WASH activities.
In general, coordination with the other clusters, particularly WASH and Logistics is
recommended and the coord team will link into those clusters to ensure a
collaborative approach.
A challenge is to create a solid institutional memory for shelter during this
emergency to prevent reinventing the wheel / making the same mistakes, in the
future.
ICRC/PRCS reported that affected population numbers may be exaggerated.
Activities to date (not all organizations reported or were present):
 WFP will provide storage and transport in all 3 districts. The military is distributing
NFI’s and tents for the government and Salvation Army + Rotary international.
 Transitional shelters are being built or planned to built by: ARC (300), Muslim
Hands (200), CRS (200+), Mercy Corps (500+ partnering UN HABITAT), UN
HABITAT, Muslim Aid (200 self build), Islamic Relief (500, working on design)
 ICRC / PRCS will provide shelter kits for up to 2,000 families in 65 villages
depending on needs.
 Distribution of winterized tents are planned for by ‘Weed for Eed’, JEN (500).
 OXFAM are planning to winterize 500 existing tents.
 NFI distributions have been carried out by ICRC, Oxfam, Mercy Malaysia, UNHCR
(in partnership with Relief International / Taraqee (US AID plastic sheeting) and
BRSP), JEN (500 NFI kits, including toolkit)
 UN HABITAT will continue providing IM support to OCHA and the ESC with maps
and the compiled 3W matrix.
 Turk RC: 120 units prefab containers. Expected next week. 1 week to construct.
180 containers: including kitchen, washing room, store.
Prototype Shelter models
 Prototypes being constructed to help solicit community buy-in and to enable
technical peer reviews.
 Prototype shelters are being build by ARC (Monday 16-11), Muslim Hands, Muslim
Aid, CRS (wood + CGI + tarpaulin), UN HABITAT / IOM / BRSP (10 + 10 pipeline)
(to raise awareness that support is underway).
Definitions and assumptions:
 Military: 35.000 people displaced, 5.000 houses damaged / partially destroyed.
7500 completely destroyed.
 Humanitarian community: 65.000 – 70.000
 ICRC: partially destroyed homes around 5,000. ICRC reported that some figures
seem to be inflated.
 WFP explains that different agencies may be using different criteria for defining
damaged houses and therefore affected population figures differ.
 Having reliable numbers is crucial for planning and prioritization.
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Emergency Shelter Cluster: Baluchistan Earthquake Response
Meeting Notes, Quetta, November 15, 2008
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ESC shelter strategy
 ESC will not recommend one shelter solution at this point as several models are
already under way. The ESC coord team will organize peer reviews and offer
technical advice on construction and standards to be met (focus of TWIG).
4. Information management:
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IM and targeting is crucial in this phase. The ESC IM manager will be
‘gatekeeper’ for all Shelter and NFI data. He will share this data with UN
Habitat for the 3W datasheet which will then be made available to all
cluster members. Please mail weekly (ultimately Thursday!) your reports
to ESC.IM.Balchustan@gmail.com!
Army has agreed to provide detailed assessment reports by village and detailed
distribution reports by village/distribution points. Upon receipt of these, mapping
of needs and distributions to date can be carried out to identify potential gaps.
IM will distribute list with standardized village names, item names
Avoid reporting duplication when working in partnerships
Locations will be shared by ESC Information Management, based on the reporting.
URGENT: All agencies are asked to provide a short overview what can be achieved
in
the
next
3
weeks!!!
Please
send
brief
report
to
ESC.IM.Baluchistan@gmail.com. ESC will compile this into one document. Please
provide information about
o Transitional shelter
o Winterizing tents
o Non winterized and winterized tents
o Containers.
o NFI’s
5. Strategic Advisory Group (SAG)
 Strategic framework for the shelter cluster is ready in draft. The new draft version
will attempt to incorporate comments already received from cluster members.
6. Technical Working Group (TWIG): Shelter Designs
 A TWIG will be hosted by WFP on 14. November 2008 at 17.30hrs
 Islamic relief, CRS, UN habitat, ARC, Muslim Aid, and others will be attending
 UN HABITAT will take the lead for this TWIG meetings with ESC coord team
support.
7. Advocacy:
 Afghani’s needs are to be addressed by UNHCR + ICRC. All humanitarian actors
and local authorities have been asked to assist this group.
8. AOB:
 UNDP: offered to take the lead in stove and cooking input. Partners are welcome
 The ESC is based in a temporary office in Serena Hotel in Quetta.
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Emergency Shelter Cluster: Baluchistan Earthquake Response
Meeting Notes, Quetta, November 15, 2008
9. Next meeting
 General Farooq, NDMA: will visit Wam on Monday and Tuesday. Special Shelter
Cluster meeting on Monday 16th November: 10.00 -12.00. Attendance would be
appreciated.
 Weekly ESC meeting: Friday 21st November 10.00am. Location to be advised.
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