With our partners, we have already delivered aid to hundreds of people in Nepal
Several days have passed since the devastating floods and landslides struck northern Nepal. The full scale of the disaster is gradually becoming clear, and humanitarian teams are reaching areas that were cut off from the outside world after the floods. Together with our partners, we are already responding directly in the affected region and continuing our SOS Nepal campaign.
Flash floods and landslides struck northern Nepal on Wednesday, 26 August. A powerful surge of water, mud and debris destroyed homes, roads, bridges, power lines and drinking water sources. Thousands of people were forced to leave their homes, and several communities were cut off from the outside world.
Since the first reports of the disaster, the scale of the devastation has increased significantly. According to the latest data from Nepal’s National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority (NDRRMA), 675 bodies or human remains have been recovered, 219 people have been injured, and contact has not yet been established with 2,498 people. Rescue teams have rescued or evacuated 7,514 people through ground and aerial operations. The figures continue to be updated.
Initial assessments from the affected areas also illustrate the extent of the damage. In Uttargaya Rural Municipality in Rasuwa District alone, 728 buildings, approximately 21 kilometres of roads and 15 bridges were damaged.
Initial aid has already reached hundreds of people
We are responding to the disaster in cooperation with our partner organisation People in Need and its local partners. Their teams were among the first humanitarian organisations to reach the severely affected Rasuwa District.
At a reception centre in Uttargaya, food assistance has already reached 450 people, and distributions will continue over the next two weeks. On Saturday, 29 August, three trucks carrying pre-positioned humanitarian supplies also set off for Rasuwa District.
Together with our partners, we plan to focus our assistance primarily on the four most severely affected municipalities in Rasuwa District – Kalika, Uttargaya, Aamachhodingmo and Gosaikunda. Humanitarian teams are in contact with local authorities and communities and are continuously assessing where and what kind of assistance is needed most.
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According to current estimates, around 20,000 households will need some form of assistance. The most urgent needs currently include drinking water, food, clothing, hygiene supplies and emergency shelter. In the coming weeks and months, support will also be needed to repair and rebuild damaged homes, provide psychosocial support, and ensure emergency education in areas where the disaster has disrupted schooling.
“The situation remains critical, and the toll continues to rise. Ensuring that people have a roof over their heads will be extremely important in the months ahead. Rasuwa, where we will be working, is a mountainous district with very harsh winters. People will therefore also need materials to repair and rebuild damaged homes,” says Marián Cehelník, Emergency and Security Advisor at People in Peril.
We are continuing our SOS Nepal campaign, and the funds raised will be used according to the most urgent needs of people in the affected areas.
“At this point, financial support is the most effective form of assistance. It does not make sense to buy supplies in Slovakia and then transport them thousands of kilometres. Financial contributions allow us to purchase the necessary items directly in Nepal, based on people’s current needs. This means aid can reach them more efficiently while also supporting the local economy,” adds Marián Cehelník.
Thank you to all the donors who have already contributed to the response, as well as to those who will support the SOS Nepal campaign.
Photo credit: People in Need
