Happy Friday Team,
A few new updates regarding our Nepal response. (Text in gray means no change since the previous update)
Situation Updates:
• The scale of destruction across the Himalayan country of Nepal since Saturday’s 7.8 magnitude earthquake is immense.
• Since then, several aftershocks have taken place, ranging from 5 to 6.7 in magnitude.
• More than 7,500 people are reported to have been killed and at least 16,000 people have also been injured, although these figures are likely to rise.
• Hospitals are being overwhelmed as more patients arrive and supplies run low.
• 8.1 million people are reported to be in need of humanitarian assistance.
• Nepal’s prime minister Sushil Koirala said his government was doing all it could, but was overwhelmed.
• With hundreds of thousands of people sleeping outdoors in makeshift shelters, thunderstorms forecast, mountain snows melting, and the monsoon season due, the growing risk of landslides and flash flooding will add to the challenges for rescue and relief teams.
Our Response:
• Currently, there are 12 ShelterBox Response Team members working in Nepal.
• The second chartered flight of aid arrived today.
• The team in Kathmandu is meeting today with British Gurkhas to discuss potential partnerships for logistics and future distributions. They will be conducting a reconnaissance with a view to assisting in distributing 500 to 1,000 shelter kits. A team of two ShelterBox team members will also be traveling to a remote region to the north west of Kathmandu to carry out a similar reconnaissance with ACTED and WFP.
• The team in Sindhupalchok is preparing to receive the next batch of aid once it has cleared customs in Kathmandu.
• The teams remain in good spirits and are establishing good systems for efficiently processing aid through the airports, customs and onwards to the more remote locations for distribution.
About Accepting Donations:
Please send people here -
www.shelterboxusa.org/nepal
