Earthquake triggers ‘round the clock’ relief effort

Nepal was on a “war footing” this week, its Prime Minister Sushil Koirala said, after last Saturday’s 7.8 magnitude earthquake left a confirmed 5,000 people dead, with the final toll expected to reach 10,000.

Christian aid agencies launched emergency appeals and donations poured in, but the international relief effort was hampered by congestion at the capital Kathmandu’s sole airport, which fortunately was still able to operate. The epicentre of the earthquake was 80 kilometers north-west of the capital. There was so much damage to infrastructure that many affected villages could not be reached.

The UN estimated that 8 million people were affected, more than a quarter of the population. “The Government is doing all it can for rescue and relief,” Mr Koirala told Reuters news agency, but he admitted that lack of equipment and expert personnel meant the “appeals for rescues coming in from everywhere” in many cases could not be met.

Aid agencies linked with the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) Nepal Earthquake Appeal reported being “overwhelmed” by the generous response. More than 1,000 people donated to the appeal by the England and Wales Catholic aid agency, Cafod, last Monday afternoon alone. Cafod initially committed £100,000, and has launched a £3 million fundraising appeal, working “round the clock” to provide food, shelter, emergency supplies and clean water. The Scottish Catholic aid agency Sciaf has pledged an initial £50,000. Christian Aid’s appeal raised £145,000 in less than 48 hours.

“This is the worst earthquake to hit Nepal for 80 years,” said Matthew Carter of Cafod, “and with roads blocked, power supplies down and remote villages still cut off, the challenges are staggering”. He reported that “people have been taking shelter in churches and tents on church grounds, and our partner Caritas Nepal has been doing fantastic work in supporting them with shelter, food and water”. 

Patient numbers at The Leprosy Mission’s Anandaban hospital, 12 kilometres south of Kathmandu, doubled after the earthquake. While the hospital was still standing, it was feared the building may not survive the aftershocks and so all patients were moved outside into tents. The Nepalese Army was helping to bring injured patients to the hospital, which was the only one with the necessary equipment in the area including a blood bank. Nine out of every 10 members of the 95,000-strong army was deployed in relief work.

Funeral pyres were burning day and night in Kathmandu. Vast tent cities have sprung up, but people in cut-off villages were sleeping in the open air or under flimsy shelters as rain beat down and tremors continued.