Melanie Dawes CB Permanent Secretary, DCLG Department for Communities and Local Government 2 Marsham Street London SW1E 4DF Chief Executives (by email) Tel: 0303 444 2785 [email protected] www.gov.uk/dclg 28 April 2015 Dear colleagues, As you will have seen on the news, a major earthquake occurred at 11.45 local time on 25 April in Nepal. The epicentre was 81kms west of Kathmandu. Aftershocks are continuing with a smaller earthquake occurring at around 13.00 local time on 26 April. There has been extensive damage to buildings and reports of avalanches in the Macchaputre and Everest regions. This is obviously a worrying time for Nepalese communities within the UK. This letter is to alert you to the support and resources that are available to help them. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office have established a helpline – 0207 008 0000 – for those worried about friends, relatives or loved ones who may be affected. They can also send details online through https://overseas-crisis.service.gov.uk/ or by emailing [email protected]. The Red Cross is also offering support, including to those who have lost contact with family members following the earthquake. Details are available on their website atwww.redcross.org.uk At the moment, we have no reports of any British nationals killed or injured. British Embassy staff are on the ground and have provided practical help to around 200 British nationals. Teams of consular staff have also been out scouring hospitals, hotels and areas popular with tourists looking for British nationals who may need assistance. In addition, the Department for International Development has deployed a team of more than 60 search and rescue responders and medical experts as part of a cross-government capacity surge to support the relief effort in Nepal. Information will be updated regularly and placed online. You can find it by searching for ‘Nepal’ onwww.gov.uk. I know Nepalese communities at home are grateful for the support you and your colleagues continue to offer. If you have any concerns, or believe we can help your communities in other ways, please get in touch with my office and we will be happy to see what else we can do. Yours sincerely, Melanie Dawes CB