Nepal Earthquake: Three Months on

Nepal Earthquake: Three Months on - Red Cross Continues to Address Unmet Needs

On 25 April 2015, the lives of hundreds of thousands of people in Nepal were changed by the worst earthquake the country has experienced since 1934.

A total of 5.6 million people were affected - 8,844 people were killed and more than 800,000 homes were damaged or destroyed.

Three months on thousands of people still require humanitarian assistance in order to meet their basic needs.

Nepal Red Cross and the international Red Cross have focused their efforts on providing relief, shelter, medical care and safe water to communities in the 14 worst affected districts.

New Zealand Red Cross has raised $2.9 million for the response and will deploy a total of 14 Kiwi aid workers to Nepal.

Tony Paine, Secretary General of New Zealand Red Cross says Red Cross in New Zealand responded immediately, with aid workers reaching Nepal within 72 hours.

“Our telecommunications emergency response unit arrived two days after the earthquake to set up communication networks to get vital information in and out of Nepal. Since then we have had further aid workers in Nepal, including nurses, security personnel and logisticians.

“Kiwis also responded quickly and generously, with donations from members of the public, Nepali community groups and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

“New Zealand has a long history with Nepal and we also know first-hand the enormous impact of earthquakes.

“I’d like to thank all the Kiwis who have supported the people of Nepal. Their support is making a real difference to thousands of people who are still feeling the devastating effects of the earthquakes in their daily lives. The earthquakes might be over, but the disaster isn’t,” Mr Paine says.

People still need relief assistance and Red Cross’ priority is to reach remote communities in the mountains with supplies before they are cut off by the monsoon.

Many roads are treacherously narrow and winding and with the rains, they are prone to frequent landslides. Red Cross assesses on an hourly basis which routes are safe enough to transport aid. To add to the complexity, many people have left their villages because their houses were damaged by the earthquake or they fear landslides. This means that relief efforts need to be sufficiently agile to deliver services to where people are relocating.

Red Cross continues to focus on providing shelter materials as well as food and essential non-food relief such as household items. Medical teams remain active and the need for longer term psychological support to survivors is a priority. Distributions of cash grants have been integrated into the Red Cross response and millions of litres of clean water have been provided to survivors.

Red Cross has a planned a long-term recovery programme aimed at helping people to rebuild their lives. This will include support to rebuild homes and livelihoods and health programmes that include improvements in the provision of water, sanitation and disease prevention. It is a massive challenge given the scale of the needs, the terrain and the huge task of rebuilding homes before the winter sets in.

ENDS

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