Floods and Landslides in Nepal: We’re Launching an Emergency Relief Campaign

Catastrophic flash floods and landslides have hit northern Nepal. Hundreds of people have lost their lives, others are still missing, and thousands have been forced to leave their homes. Together with our partner organisation People in Need, we are responding to the situation in the affected areas. We have already allocated an initial €5,000 for immediate assistance and are launching the SOS Nepal emergency relief campaign. Join us in helping those affected.

Floods Destroyed Homes, Roads and Bridges

On the morning of Wednesday, 26 August, a powerful flash flood accompanied by landslides struck northern Nepal near the border with Tibet. According to current findings, it was triggered by the collapse of part of a glacier and a mass of rock high in the Himalayas. The material crashed into the valley, unleashing a powerful surge of water, mud and debris that rapidly swept downstream. Experts are also investigating whether seismic activity may have preceded the disaster.

The disaster hit Rasuwa District particularly hard before affecting other areas as well. Floodwaters destroyed homes, bridges, roads, power lines and drinking water sources. Hydropower plants and other critical infrastructure were also damaged. Many communities were left cut off from surrounding areas, and mobile networks remain unavailable in several locations.

“It was terrible, truly devastating. Around 10,000 people living along the riverbanks have had to leave their homes or have lost them altogether. This figure has not yet been confirmed. People are now moving to higher ground, into mountainous areas and forests, but there is a shortage of food and drinking water there,” says Sabin Adhikari, a humanitarian worker with People in Need in Nepal, describing the situation on the ground.

The number of people killed and missing continues to change as authorities carry on search and rescue operations. According to the latest available figures, the disaster in Nepal and neighbouring Tibet has claimed hundreds of lives, while more than a thousand people remain missing. They include local residents as well as foreign tourists and pilgrims.

Help People in Nepal Together with Us

To provide assistance as quickly as possible, we have already allocated an initial €5,000 from the People in Peril Friends Club. It is the regular support of our Friends Club members that enables us to respond immediately when disasters strike, even before enough funds have been raised through a public campaign.

At the same time, we are launching the SOS Nepal emergency relief campaign, through which you can help as well. The funds raised will be used to provide the most urgently needed assistance, based on the needs of people directly in the affected areas.

I WANT TO HELP PEOPLE IN NEPAL

Thank you to everyone who supports our relief efforts. Every contribution helps us respond more quickly and deliver essential assistance to people affected by the disaster.

Food, Water and Emergency Shelter Come First

In the first days after the disaster, relief efforts are focused primarily on meeting the basic needs of people who have been forced to leave their homes or have been cut off from the outside world.

Depending on the most urgent needs on the ground, the funds raised will be used primarily to provide:

food,
drinking water,
hygiene supplies,
materials for emergency shelters,
other essential humanitarian assistance.

One of the biggest challenges is getting supplies to hard-to-reach mountainous areas where floods have destroyed access roads and bridges. In some places, rescue teams are therefore also using helicopters.

“All roads and trade routes have been cut off, yet people remain in the affected areas waiting for help. They lack food, drinking water and other basic necessities. The situation for people in the affected communities is extremely serious,” adds Sabin Adhikari.

In the next phase of the response, psychosocial support may also be needed, along with assistance for children and other vulnerable people, as well as support for emergency education in areas where the disaster has disrupted schooling.

Helping Together with People in Need

We are responding to the disaster in close cooperation with our partner organisation People in Need, with whom we have worked in Nepal since the devastating earthquake in 2015. At that time, we helped approximately 14,000 people in the affected areas.

People in Need has maintained a continuous presence in Nepal ever since. The organisation knows Rasuwa District, one of the areas hardest hit by the current disaster, particularly well. Following the earthquake, it provided humanitarian assistance there and, in recent years, worked with local authorities to strengthen communities’ preparedness for natural disasters. The most recent of these projects ended only in June this year.

Thanks to its long-term presence, the team has established strong relationships with local authorities and has extensive knowledge of local conditions. According to initial estimates, more than 1,200 households have been affected in areas where People in Need has previously worked.