NEPAL EARTHQUAKE UPDATE Gorkha 18/05/2015 Nepal, 3 weeks on... Earthquake ravaged country continues to feel aftershocks, and is hit by second large destructive tremor last week Current figures show over 8,000 dead,14,000 injured, with over 160,000 buildings in ruins and 600,000 others damaged There are still many parts of the country in need of shelter, water, food and medical attention, yet geographical and political obstacles are hampering the relief getting to those who need it Fears are that the three key political parties are influencing the distribution of relief, injecting partisan politics into a humanitarian tragedy Donors, including the UN and the US, have asked the Nepal government to be less bureaucratic in lifting aid-material from customs and allowing them to work with their partners, instead of the insisting all relief is channelled through government agencies Many small local grassroots aid initiatives are proving successful in reaching neglected rural areas, but efforts are being challenged by the effects of aftershocks Nepal’s economy has been shattered by the tragedy, and with tourism all but wiped out, recovery is predicted to take years In Gorkha... Supply routes to villages in the north of Gorkha are completely unusable due to landslides In Hansapur area, 95% of buildings are gone. Many villages in and around Barpak, Laprak & Simjung are completely levelled, and massive landslides in Sridibas and Prok are both major concerns, with many families needing rescue In the worst hit areas, grain and food for humans and livestock is mostly lost, having been buried in amongst rubble and debris Rural hospitals are feeling the strain due to lack of medical supplies and manpower Shelter and food are still a priority, but political chicanery is testing some relief efforts in reaching key areas of the district GORKHA DISTRICT Supply channels Two large trucks with Gorkha Foundation supplies successfully crossed the India/Nepal border, meeting with another aid vehicle from Chitwan. A distribution centre was established in Abu Khaireni (see top right), to deliver the following relief via GF local volunteer networks and the Nepal Army: • Food • Hygiene & medical supplies • Shelter materials & blankets Medical assistance Top: Dr. Upendra Devkota with the GF volunteers assisting at Gorkha Hospital GF is collaborating with RAD-AID, Dr Richard Hirsh and Radio Mammography International, by sending a team of physicians to assist Tribhuvan Teaching Hospital in Kathmandu, which has seen much of its equipment damaged and its manpower stretched to deal with the large influx of injured patients GF has been in close collaboration with Medecins sans Frontieres to get emergency medical relief to Amppipal and Jaubari hospitals. Other key relief initiatives Bottom: One of two helicopter relief missions delivering rice, wheat, cooking oil, vegetables, tarps and clothes to the far north of the district, where landslides have severely damaged villages in Prok & Tsum GF relief successfully reached the 300+ landslide victims in the Sridibas area What next? For as long as donations continue, Gorkha Foundation and our various partners will focus on the following relief: Delivery and construction of more durable shelters, especially aluminium/corrugated roofing where possible Further food, hygiene and medicine supplies Airlifting supplies to remote northern areas Doctors to be placed in key district hospitals and isolated villages www.gorkhafoundation.org WE STILL NEED YOUR SUPPORT! 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