I've been in Pakistan since Sunday, covering the earthquake here. For all those of you who are wondering, YES it is as bad if not worse than the reports reveal. This is a living nightmare.

I got back from Muzaffarabad yesterday. It looks like photos of bombed out Dresden. Whole buildings are collapsed. Parts of the Himalayas are strewn across the roads. Cars are crushed under the rubble. Walking into that city was like walking into a post-Apocolyptic tragedy.

The air there is beginning to smell of rotting flesh and few rescuers have reached the remote area to pull survivors from the rubble. What with the rain and freezing hail, those trapped inside don't have much of a chance if help does not get here soon. Those who escaped unhurt, are facing hunger and thirst, as there is no water and little food to be had in most areas. I'm leaving again for Kashmir in the morning. I doubt things will be much better.

I've been pretty emotionally numb since I got here and I take that as a blessing from Allah. I can only do the little good reporting does if I'm not breaking down all over the place, I tell myself. I don't always manage to though. I talked to my kid brother's friend, who lost his mom and his sister in the earthquake. He was in shock, and couldn't remember what day they'd been buried on. To even begin to think of going through a similar situation is too much for me. I felt stupider than dirt telling him I felt sorry and hoped he'd feel better soon.

Ya Allah, You, the All Wise, know best. Ya Allah, You The Planner, have pre-written our times of death. Ya Allah, from You we come and to You we return. Ya Allah, please ease the suffering and comfort the hearts of the survivors. Let this earthquake not be only a punishment, but also a lesson.

The rest of you, send money, goods, and prayers.