Red Cross Delivering Urgent Life-Saving Aid to Nepal

Red Cross Delivering Urgent Life-Saving Aid to Nepal

New Zealand Red Cross Secretary General Tony Paine says Red Cross in New Zealand and around the world is mobilizing resources to scale up assistance to thousands of people affected by the devastating Nepal earthquake.

“This is the critical phase of the response - when seconds can mean the difference between life and death – it calls for fast and effective action.”

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), of which New Zealand Red Cross is a part, has launched an international response to deliver urgent life-saving aid to those most in need.

The New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade has donated $500,000 to support the IFRC emergency appeal.

A New Zealand Red Cross emergency response unit consisting of three telecommunications specialists will be deployedtomorrow to establish local communication networks to help ensure the smooth flow of information in the operation.

Further Kiwi aid workers will be deployed in the coming days to assist with the response.

New Zealand Red Cross has also launched an emergency appeal and is working with Nepali communities in New Zealand to support the needs of people affected by the massive earthquake.

“Thanks to the support of the New Zealand Government and donations from the public, we have been able to offer immediate assistance to Nepal,” Mr Paine says.

The disaster has claimed thousands of lives including a number of staff and volunteers from Nepal Red Cross. The death toll is expected to rise as new information becomes available, and the level of humanitarian needs will be high.

Accessibility to remote, affected areas and information on the rural areas surrounding Kathmandu are a major challenge, hampering search and rescue and relief efforts.

More than 1,500 Nepal Red Cross volunteers and 300 staff have been relentlessly working amidst numerous aftershocks - the strongest of which was magnitude 6.7 - assisting in life-saving efforts, administering first aid to the injured, offering psychosocial support, carrying out assessments and providing relief at the evacuation centres, and to those seeking safety in the streets.

The Red Cross blood bank in Kathmandu is also providing blood supplies to the main medical facilities in the capital.

As strong after-shocks continue, many people are sleeping in the open, fearful of returning to their homes. Rain is predicted for the next three days and food, safe drinking water, emergency shelter and medical care are expected to be the most urgent needs of the affected population.

Nepal Red Cross has considerable experience in responding to natural disasters in the country and plays a lead role in the government’s disaster contingency plans.

If New Zealanders are looking for missing loved ones in Nepal, please register their names on this website: http://familylinks.icrc.org/nepal-earthquake/en/Pages/Home.aspx If people do make contact with affected loved ones, please register as 'safe and well' on the site to prevent others being left wondering. These services are confidential and free to all.

For more information on the Restoring Family Links service contact familylinks@redcross.org.nz.

Donations to the Nepal earthquake appeal can be made here: www.redcross.org.nz/donate/nepal-earthquake-appeal/

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