Governments, groups rush to help quake-devastated Nepal

NEW DELHI/LONDON – Governments, private companies and humanitarian groups rushed to provide aid to Nepal after the country was slammed by its worst earthquake in more than eight decades.

More than 1,800 are confirmed dead so far in yesterday’s (April 25) 7.8-magnitude quake. The toll is expected to rise in coming days as teams dig through the ruins of collapsed buildings. Critical infrastructure, from mobile phone towers to water purification, was interrupted or destroyed.

Major aid groups including Oxfam, Save the Children and Unicef quickly refreshed their websites with emergency appeals for donations. Images of destruction circulated on social media, including under the Twitter hashtag NepalEarthquake, showing massive piles of rubble and tents springing up in the country’s historic capital city, whose origins date back almost 2,000 years. A key development has been the reopening of Kathmandu’s airport.

“We know the damage is extensive and that access into rural areas will be very, very difficult for everybody,” said Mr Ben Pickering, Save the Children’s humanitarian adviser in Britain. “Children will be affected in many ways. Physical injuries. Separated from families.”

An initial pledge of US$1 million (S$1.33 million) in humanitarian assistance from the US government was equalled by technology giant Google, which had one executive killed in a landslide on Mount Everest and was scrambling to bring home three other employees. The US Agency for International Development is deploying a disaster assistance response team and urban search and rescue efforts, Secretary of State John Kerry said in a statement.

INDIA LEADS

Much of the first response, though, fell to neighbouring India. Prime Minister Narendra Modi pledged aid and sought to provide relief for citizens in northern India who also were affected by the temblor.

“We are in the process of finding out more information and are working to reach out to those affected, both at home and in Nepal,” Mr Modi tweeted soon after the quake.

Some 34 people died in India, including 23 in Bihar, Home Secretary L C Goyal told reporters in New Delhi.

The earthquake caused major damage in densely populated parts of the Himalayan nation and shook buildings in India, Tibet and Bangladesh.

Mr Modi was briefed on the extent of the damage and sought to evacuate stranded tourists. Nepal has sought medical and rescue teams, India’s Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar told reporters.

India dispatched a military plane and disaster management personnel to Nepal, air force spokesman S S Birdi said by phone. It also sent sniffer dogs, equipment to cut through rubble and experts on collapsed structures, said India’s National Disaster Management Authority’s joint secretary for operations and communications Anurag Gupta.

‘NIGHT SKY’

In a country with a per-capita annual income of about US$750, or about US$62.50 per month, high and humble Nepalis alike coped with the quake’s aftermath.

“Most of Kathmandu including me and my family are sleeping under the night sky tonight! It’s 1.00 at night and we are hearing Indian Air Force jets flying into the valley, the first helping hands hopefully,” Mr Anil Keshary Shah, chief executive officer of Mega Bank Nepal said on Facebook.

The disaster prompted condolences and promises of aid from world leaders.

UK Prime Minister David Cameron described the deaths as “shocking news” in a Twitter post. “The UK will do all we can to help those caught up in it,” he said.

“Germany stands ready to help in whatever way it can” once it becomes clear what support Nepalese authorities need, German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said in an e-mail. Norway, Italy, France, Monaco and Mexico also pledged help.

The European Union was considering “some budget support” to Nepal, according to a joint statement by the EU’s foreign policy chief, development chief and humanitarian chief. It did not provide details.

Singapore will send a 55-man search-and-rescue team to Nepal and some officers from the country’s police force, including officers from its Gurkha contingent, several of whom come from the affected Nepalese regions, a spokesman for the nation’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.

Israel, meanwhile, dispatched an advance search and rescue team by plane with emergency medical supplies early today local time, and planned to fly out a number of citizens stranded in the country.

A 62-member Chinese search and rescue team, plus six dogs, was expected to arrive in Kathmandu midday today by chartered plane, the country’s state-run Xinhua News Agency reported, citing the China Earthquake Administration.

Canada’s government is sending a disaster aid team to Nepal and contributing US$5 million to relief efforts, Foreign Affairs Minister Rob Nicholson’s office confirmed late yesterday.

As countries around the globe pledged aid, Pope Francis offered prayers for the victims and those working to save them.

CRISIS MANAGEMENT

Aid groups emphasised their crisis management experience and presence on the ground in appealing for funds.

“Unicef has prepositioned supplies, including water purification tablets, hygiene kits, tarpaulins and nutrition supplies, and is working with government and other partners to meet children’s immediate needs in the areas of water and sanitation, child protection, health and nutrition,” said the UN’s children’s relief fund.

Doctors Without Borders said four teams were leaving this morning for Nepal from Bihar state in India, close to the Nepal border. The organisation also is sending in 3,000 kits including medical supplies.

Habitat for Humanity International, which has worked in Nepal for years, said it would immediately begin distributing 20,000 emergency shelter kits as it evaluates the scope of the damage and determines construction plans.

AmeriCares sent a team from India and was preparing shipments of medical aid and relief supplies. Handicap International, which had 47 workers in Nepal before the earthquake, was already busy with the emergency response.

French aid group Doctors of the World (Medecins du monde) said it had mobilised its workers in Nepal and was sending more staffers and medical aid to the region immediately.

Mercy Corps said it was checking on the safety of the large team it already had on the ground in Nepal and assessing conditions.

In a neighbourhood in New York where many Nepalese people live, there was grief and concern.

Mr Hari Acharya, owner of the Delhi Heights restaurant, said relatives including his mother, wife and children were safe but some friends had been killed. He said the building where several relatives lived had collapsed and the family was sitting outside.

“It’s a really bad thing,” he said. “It’s a legitimate disaster.”

In New York, Ms Uma Mysorekar, president of the Hindu Temple Society of North America, said the disaster requires “global assistance”.

“We fear the deaths and casualty numbers could go up for days,” she said. “We from the temple society will be collecting funds and forwarding them – as soon when we know where to send them.” BLOOMBERG, AP