A wave of powerful earthquakes that struck eastern Afghanistan in late August has devastated rural communities, flattening villages, killing more than 2,200 people, and leaving over half a million affected. Survivors are now struggling to rebuild their lives with little aid and almost no resources. For many families, the tremors destroyed not only their homes but also their livestock and farmland — the only assets they owned. In Bamba Kot, 52-year-old Abdul Ghafar has been sheltering with his family of 10 under a tarpaulin. Their stone home is cracked and unsafe, but officials have refused to register it as uninhabitable. “We only need one tent,” he said, as his family continues to sleep in the open.

Experts warn that the disaster could trigger a long-lasting economic and humanitarian crisis. “In Afghanistan, wealth is stored in homes, land, and livestock. When these vanish, entire household economies collapse overnight,” explained Jennifer Brick Murtazashvili of the University of Pittsburgh. The United Nations reports that more than 1.3 million animals were affected in Nangarhar and Kunar provinces, with grain reserves and irrigation systems also destroyed. Over 7,000 livestock were killed, threatening food security and the next planting season. Ilan Noy, an economics professor in New Zealand, warned that without urgent financial support, the consequences could span generations.

The Taliban say more than 6,700 homes were destroyed, while many families remain in tents as aftershocks continue. With winter approaching, conditions are expected to worsen. Years of war, sanctions, frozen assets, and shrinking international aid have left Afghanistan ill-prepared for such a catastrophe. Recent mass deportations from Pakistan and Iran — displacing over two million Afghans — have further strained already scarce food and housing.

“Construction, once a major employer, has collapsed since the Taliban takeover. NGOs are shrinking as funding dries up, and even the public sector is under pressure,” said Ibraheem Bahiss of the International Crisis Group. “Afghans face droughts, floods, and now earthquakes — one tragedy after another.” The UN has appealed for $140 million in relief, but international donors remain hesitant, citing Taliban restrictions on women aid workers and competing global crises in Gaza and Ukraine. While tents and food rations have arrived in some areas, experts say the assistance is far from sufficient.

“Emergency aid is like a wet towel in a forest fire,” said Afghan lecturer Obaidullah Baheer. “The real impact will only start to appear next year, when food shortages and economic strain truly set in.” For now, thousands of Afghan families remain displaced, facing an uncertain future with the possibility of their hardship stretching across generations.