On March 25, 2002, an earthquake struck the Nahrin area of Baghlan province in northern Afghanistan. Its history is best read through dated records: an initial needs assessment, a shipment plan and a later recovery report describe different stages of the response.
Identify the earthquake precisely
The USGS map prepared April 15, 2002 gives the March 25 main shock as magnitude 6.1 at a depth of 8 kilometers. It distinguishes this shallow event from the separate March 3 earthquake and marks the subsequent aftershock sequence.
Record the event date alongside the reporting date. A bulletin issued March 26 can describe events from the preceding evening. Keeping both dates prevents two reports of one earthquake from becoming two events in a timeline.
Read the response as a sequence
| Date | What the record describes | How to use it |
|---|---|---|
| March 25 | Main shock in the Nahrin area, documented in the USGS map. | Identify the event and its location. |
| March 26 | IFRC Bulletin 1 describes provisional assessments and preparations to send relief stocks. | Treat planned movements and early estimates as contemporaneous reporting. |
| April 5 | IFRC Bulletin 4 describes distributions and a shift toward rehabilitation. | Look for reported delivery and remaining needs. |
| April 12 | A damaging aftershock is included in the April 15 USGS map. | Recovery planning took place during a continuing sequence. |
The March 26 IFRC bulletin explicitly described conflicting early reports. It said Afghan Red Crescent and IFRC stocks were available for dispatch with a UN convoy and described assessment and medical teams. A warehouse inventory established available supplies; confirmation of arrival required another record.
By April 5, IFRC Bulletin 4 reported distributions, medical activity and efforts to restore services. Its information was still a dated assessment. A later document offers additional evidence, while retaining its own geographical coverage and uncertainty.
Understand the links between relief and recovery
The April 5 bulletin described difficult roads and mines as access constraints. It also reported that UNICEF had supplied tents for four schools and was supporting temporary school accommodation. Its remaining-needs discussion included damaged housing, health services and drinking-water quality.
These are connected tasks. Supplies staged in a regional center need transport and a receiving point. A temporary shelter requires a suitable site and continuing support. Restoring classes involves usable space, equipment and people able to teach and attend. A response account becomes clearer when it explains the connection between an item delivered and the service it supports.
Read these observations as interpretation of the historical response, rather than instructions for operating in a disaster zone. Specific relief operations require the direction of the responsible local and humanitarian authorities.
Keep changing estimates attached to their sources
The March 26 IFRC bulletin reported unconfirmed death estimates ranging from 100 to 1,800. The April 5 bulletin estimated 800 deaths. These figures document what those reports said at those times; this comparison does not establish a final death toll.
Before combining figures, compare the area covered, reporting cutoff and units. “People affected,” “people displaced,” “families receiving supplies” and “patients treated” can overlap. Adding them produces a number with no clear population meaning.
Reading verbs as evidence
“Available” describes stock. “Will dispatch” describes a plan. “Dispatched” describes movement from an origin. “Received” records arrival at a destination. “Distributed” describes a further delivery step. “Used” and “improved access” require evidence about what followed.
When summarizing a report, retain its verb and add its date. Turning a planned shipment into a completed distribution changes the claim.
Build a short historical evidence record
- Identify the earthquake by date and place before collecting response reports.
- Save each document’s authoring organization, publication date and period covered.
- Copy the relevant figure with its unit and status: preliminary, planned, delivered or assessed.
- Compare later records for changes in coverage or definitions.
- Write a conclusion limited to what the records establish and list any remaining gap.
Use the response-report reading notes to record these details. The sheet includes the March–April 2002 source sequence and space for another report.
For a present-day emergency, begin with current official information and the named organization’s current response page. The historical records here concern 2002, and their appeal or contact details belong to that period.
Sources and related reading
Reviewed October 7, 2026. Historical documents retain their own reporting dates; follow the linked official collections for newer releases.
Child-survival evidence explores service reach and impact. Poverty measures explains why population definitions matter. The IFRC archive may restrict automated access; the documents are identified here by organization, bulletin number and date.