Although thousands of miles separate our campus community from the damage of last month’s devastating earthquake in South Asia, many Binghamton students have been deeply affected by the tragedy, and they are mobilizing to support the victims.

Several groups on campus, including the Muslim Student Association, Habitat for Humanity and Red Cross Club are banding together to raise awareness and funds for the millions affected by the earthquake.

The effort to raise funds for the victims has included tabling in the University Unions, running a clothing drive and collecting donations in classes.

The earthquake, which measured a 7.6 on the Richter Scale, hit Pakistan, India and Kashmir on Oct. 8 and has claimed a death toll of about 80,000. An additional 3 million people have been left homeless and without adequate food or water.

Hina Ahmed, a sophomore psychobiology major and one of the students heading the fundraising effort, said that the campus reaction to the earthquake was surprisingly small at first.

“Everything revolves around academics and social life. People aren’t aware of what’s going on in the world,” she said.

But Ahmed was impressed by the generosity of the many students who contributed clothing and money to the relief effort.

“People were very, very generous with their donations,” she said.

The cost of aiding the victims has become so great that the World Food Program has warned it may have to scale back its efforts if it does not receive more funding within the next few days. The $4,000 raised by students will undoubtedly go to good use.

Many of the participants from the involved student groups have felt the effects of the earthquake on a personal level.

“Many of the students in MSA are affected by it. They have relatives in some of the worst-hit areas,” said Christina Gallus, Fundraising Coordinator for Habitat for Humanity.

For Hamza Mahmood, a sophomore economics major, the disaster hit close to home — literally. Mahmood spent most of his life living in Islamabad, Pakistan, only a few hundred miles from the epicenter.

“That’s home, that’s where I grew up all of my life,” he said.

Mahmood is helping students to understand the magnitude of this tragedy on a more personal level by showing a slideshow of photos of the affected areas before and after the earthquake, including some personal ones of his family in Pakistan before they moved to the U.S.

Fortunately, none of Mahmood’s family or friends back home were among the victims, but many buildings and homes were destroyed.

But the biggest tragedy, Mahmood said, was the 17,000 children who died in school buildings that collapsed when the earthquake hit. He said that Pakistan rarely experiences earthquakes and its structures are not equipped to handle them.

“When the buildings fall, people don’t survive.”

Mahmood added that the biggest concern for survivors who have lost their homes will be the long brutal winter ahead. He called it “a race against time” for those who will be without shelter.