By now the whole world has heard about the catastrophic 7.8 earthquake that struck Nepal. Powerful aftershocks are still shaking the region. The power’s out, many historic buildings have collapsed, many people are in shock, and there is death everywhere. It is mostly the dead who are being pulled from the rubble, but pray that those buried alive would be rescued in time. Food, water, health, sanitation, and homelessness will now become critical issues. Public safety personnel and medical teams are being stretched to their limits.
We can all help. Every one of us can pray for the survivors even if we can’t afford to give. If you have been blessed with the ability to give, here are some organizations that have already hit the ground running (with excerpts from their websites).
World Vision, Nepal Earthquake:
World Vision is responding with relief efforts after a deadly earthquake struck Kathmandu and surrounding areas in Nepal on April 25, 2015. According to government reports, the 7.8 quake killed at least 1,000 people.
That number is expected to rise. Hundreds more were injured and left homeless by the massive earthquake that has caused deaths and destruction across three other countries – China, Bangladesh and India – in the region.
- Kathmandu area hardest hit suffers massive damage
- Searches underway for survivors
- Nepal officials asking for international relief help
- Communications disrupted; airport closed
- Powerful aftershocks
- World Vision teams are responding to the crisis
Survivors say that many buildings and homes have been destroyed and in some areas entire villages have been wiped out by the quake and the people who live in them left homeless.
This devastating earthquake has hit vulnerable families who now depend on relief efforts for survival.The children and families of Nepal desperately need your help. Click here to donate.
Samaritan’s Purse, Deadly Earthquake in Nepal:
Samaritan’s Purse is responding to the disastrous quake (Donate)
A catastrophic 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck Nepal Saturday, killing hundreds of people and destroying numerous houses and buildings.
More than 1,000 people are known to have died, and the death toll is expected to rise as officials dig through the rubble.
The quake struck an area between the capital, Kathmandu, and the city of Pokhara, the US Geological Survey said. Tremors were felt across the region, with further loss of life in India, Bangladesh and on Mount Everest.
Samaritan’s Purse is deploying a team of 16 disaster response experts, including six medical personnel.
We will be helping victims with emergency shelter, water, hygiene kits, and other emergency supplies. We are sending initial supplies for 15,000 households, and anticipate doing more as the response continues.
The medical team and supplies will support mission hospitals that are Samaritan’s Purse partners.
Samaritan’s Purse ministry partners are in Nepal, assessing the damage.
The earthquake collapsed houses, leveled centuries-old temples and triggered avalanches in the Himalayas. It was the worst temblor to hit the poor South Asian nation in over 80 years.
The quake struck before noon time and was most severely felt in the capital as well as the densely populated Kathmandu Valley. A magnitude-6.6 aftershock hit about an hour later, and smaller aftershocks continued to ripple through the region for hours.
Please pray for everyone affected by the earthquake, for those who have lost loved ones, and for families whose homes have been destroyed. Pray that God will grant wisdom as Samaritan’s Purse determines how to respond, and that our work will convey the love of Christ.
UNICEF, Earthquake in Nepal: Children Need Your Help Now:
A devastating 7.8 magnitude earthquake near Nepal’s capital city of Kathmandu has claimed nearly 1,000 lives, caused thousands of injuries, and destroyed homes and infrastructure. While the full impact is still being evaluated, UNICEF is on the ground working to provide critical emergency aid to children and families.
When it comes to emergency and disaster relief, UNICEF is there for children—before, during and after a crisis.
Christian Aid, Nepal Earthquake:
Christian Aid has made an initial £50,000 available to help victims of the Nepal earthquake and will launch an appeal to supporters for further funding.
Several partner agencies are on their way to the worst hit areas.
These include PGVS, which works on the Nepal/India border on disaster preparedness relating to events such as floods and cyclones, humanitarian response experts RedR, and Aquaplus, which provides water purification systems.
We will also work with partners in the ACT Alliance, a coalition of more than 140 churches and affiliated organisations working to alleviate poverty and respond to humanitarian needs.
Christian Aid’s regional emergency manager, Ram Kishan, said yesterday: ‘Rural areas were hit particularly hard by the earthquake, but little information has so far emerged as travel is difficult, not least because of damaged infrastructure.
‘We fear, therefore, that the death count could be much higher, as well as the loss of buildings and property.
‘Our partners are en route to establish where need is greatest, so that we can respond quickly and effectively.
‘It’s clear from what has emerged so far that there is an urgent need for emergency shelters, food and clean drinking water, warm clothing, blankets and hygiene kits.
‘The provision of civic and essential services in Nepal is weak, and hospitals and other medical services are under strain.
‘The last major earthquake to strike Nepal was in 1934, which had a magnitude of 8.3 on the Richter scale. It caused great loss of life and considerable damage to buildings.
‘Since then, the population of the country has skyrocketed, along with urban development.’
(India has also been affected by the earthquake, so money donated to this appeal may be used to help people there.)
Save the Children, Nepal Earthquake Children’s Relief Fund:
A deadly earthquake has devastated children and families in Nepal. In response, Save the Children has launched a disaster response on the ground in Nepal with emergency assistance during this difficult time. Save the Children has worked in Nepal since 1976 and have extensive programs throughout the country. This is the worst earthquake in Nepal in the last 81 years.
We need your generous gift to support our efforts. Your support will help us protect vulnerable children and provide desperately needed relief to families.Ten percent of your contribution will be used to help us prepare for the next emergency. Nobody knows when the next crisis will strike, but your support helps Save the Children provide assistance in the critical first hours and days of an emergency when children need us most.
Donate now to the Nepal Children’s Relief Fund to support Save the Children’s responses to ongoing and urgent needs as a result of the earthquake.
Thanks to CNN for suggesting these next three organizations:
Nepal Red Cross Society (no summary was available as their website appeared to be overwhelmed)
American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee, Nepal Earthquake Relief:
In the wake of the devastating 7.8 magnitude earthquake in Nepal, JDC is collecting funds for emerging relief efforts. Amid a quickly rising death toll and widespread destruction in Kathmandu and the surrounding region, JDC’s staff experts in India are consulting with the local authorities, Nepali and Indian governments, and global partners to assess the unfolding situation on the ground and ensure survivor’s immediate needs are addressed.
AmeriCares, Responding to Massive Nepal Earthquake:
AmeriCares is responding to the 7.8-magnitude earthquake that rocked Nepal earlier today, causing buildings to collapse, setting off avalanches on Mount Everest and catapulting the region into chaos. The massive quake struck shortly before noon local time, centered about 50 miles from Kathmandu and could be felt as far away as New Delhi. Strong aftershocks have been felt throughout the region.
More than 1,800 people are reported to have died in Nepal and the death toll is quickly rising. Hospitals are overflowing with patients and medical personnel are treating the injured in the streets, according to news reports. The Nepali government has requested international assistance.
An emergency response team from the AmeriCares India office in Mumbai is headed to the impact zone and relief workers are preparing shipments of medical aid and relief supplies for survivors. AmeriCares stocks emergency medicine and relief supplies in its warehouses in the U.S., Europe and India that can be delivered quickly in times of crisis, and launches comprehensive recovery programs that restore health services for disaster survivors.
“Our emergency response team is en route to Nepal and we are prepared to help any way that we can,” said AmeriCares President and CEO Michael J. Nyenhuis. “This is a terrible tragedy and our hearts go out to the families suffering.”
AmeriCares has been aiding survivors of natural disasters, political conflict and extreme poverty around the world for more than 30 years, saving lives and restoring health and hope.
Nepal had many challenges before this tragedy. The CIA World Factbook says:
Nepal is among the poorest and least developed countries in the world, with about one-quarter of its population living below the poverty line. Nepal is heavily dependent on remittances, which amount to as much as 22-25% of GDP. Agriculture is the mainstay of the economy, providing a livelihood for more than 70% of the population and accounting for a little over one-third of GDP. Industrial activity mainly involves the processing of agricultural products, including pulses, jute, sugarcane, tobacco, and grain. Nepal has considerable scope for exploiting its potential in hydropower, with an estimated 42,000 MW of commercially feasible capacity, but political uncertainty and a difficult business climate have hampered foreign investment. Additional challenges to Nepal’s growth include its landlocked geographic location, persistent power shortages, underdeveloped transportation infrastructure, civil strife and labor unrest, and its susceptibility to natural disaster. The lack of political consensus in the past several years has delayed national budgets and prevented much-needed economic reform, although the government passed a full budget in 2013 and 2014. Nepal and India signed trade and investment agreements in 2014 that will amp up Nepal’s hydropower potential.
Unfortunately, given where we’re at in world history, we can expect to see more of the same. This means we need to be more prepared and more willing to help as these disasters strike. Here in the Seattle area, we are overdue for a major quake like this and yet most of us, in a region so prosperous, are woefully unprepared for such an event. This is a good time to remind others about the resources available to us.
American Red Cross: Earthquake Preparedness
The Seattle Times, Get ready to rumble: A guide to earthquake preparedness
USGS Earthquake Hazards Program (they have some excellent links)
FEMA, Earthquake Safety at Home
Pacific Northwest Seismic Network Recent Events (interactive map of earthquakes in this area)
USGS World Earthquakes List (with daily historical event listing and fact as well as numerous maps)
Livescience’s earthquakes page has a variety of fascinating articles on the topic
Nepal’s National Seismological Centre continuously updates its data
IRIS has a special event page devoted to data on the Nepal earthquakes with many pertinent links. This is where you can get deep into the scientific data. Here’s one example– go to this page to actually play the animation– it won’t embed properly.
A seissound animation with speed-up sound of seismic data of the magnitude 7.8 Nepal earthquake sequence recorded at station IC.LSA that are about 650 km away. The mainshock trace was clipped, and numerous aftershocks and likely triggered earthquakes could be heard throughout the entire ~4 hour recording. (Zhigang Peng, Georgia Tech)
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How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world. -Anne Frank
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