Summary
In this UD Magazine profile series, several UD students, including CHEER's Gulrukh Kakar, discuss their experiences growing up in disaster-prone areas and its impact on their academic journeys.
Braving the Storm: Blue Hens Leverage Their Experiences With Disaster to Inspire Global Change
Life in the Pakistani city of Quetta isn’t easy. It sits within an arid, largely desert province that borders Iran and Afghanistan, and militant insurgencies are common. Adding to the danger, natural hazards are a constant threat.
In 2008, Gulrukh Kakar, BSPA26PhD, and her family were inside their Quetta home when they heard a “horrific noise that sounded like it was coming from the land itself.” A 6.5-magnitude earthquake killed hundreds of people, leveled much infrastructure and led to contaminated water supplies.
“I remember shivering and praying: ‘Please, God, help us,’” says Kakar. “It was such a helpless moment.” The city is also prone to flash flooding that displaces families—in 2022, Kakar witnessed victims living on the roadside: “It definitely takes an emotional toll.”
Now, the Blue Hen is working toward her doctoral degree in Disaster Science and Management at UD, with the aim of improving emergency response in Pakistan and other vulnerable areas. Along with her husband, she’s already established the Institute for International Disaster Diplomacy to encourage more collaboration between countries.
The story continues in UDaily. Learn more about Gulrukh here.
