On April 25, a devastating earthquake struck between the Nepalese capital Kathmandu and the city of Pokhara.
The needs in response to this catastrophe are immense. CARE staff are on the ground providing people with temporary shelter, ready-to-eat meals, water purification and toilet construction.
More than 7,000 people have reportedly died and this number is expected to rise. People urgently need clean water, emergency shelters and medical assistance.
Many people have lost everything. Food, clothing, bedding and household items lay buried under ruins of people’s houses. That’s why CARE’s initial response will provide emergency supply kits (or CARE Packages) of tarps, blankets, jerry cans and toiletries. CARE has already distributed emergency kits in Kathmandu, and will distribute emergency kits of temporary shelter and hygiene items in Gorkha, a remote area near the epicenter.
CARE’s emergency specialists from across the world are now in Nepal, and CARE has over 150 staff in Nepal already working in the majority of the most affected districts.
UPDATE: Nepal rocked by 2nd deadly earthquake in 17 days
Only 17 days after suffering its worst earthquake in more than 80 years, Nepal was rocked by another major, deadly earthquake today.
Today’s magnitude 7.3 quake struck at 12:50 P.M., with its epicenter just 47 miles (76km) northeast of the capital, Kathmandu. Initial reports indicate today’s earthquake has killed dozens more people and caused additional homes and buildings to crumble. The magnitude 7.8 earthquake that struck Nepal on April 25 killed at least 7,365 people, injured more than 14,355 and destroyed an estimated 284,000 homes and damaging 234,000 more.
CARE was in the process scaling up its earthquake response in hard-hit Sindhupalchowk district when today’s second earthquake hit. CARE is now sending additional staff to Sindhupalchowk to help with the new damage.
CARE is particularly concerned about the 14,000 women who are expected to give birth in Nepal over the next month. An estimated 2,000 of them are at risk of experiencing complications that require emergency obstetric care. CARE has started distributing reproductive health kits to villages in Gorkha this week that include essential medicines and supplies for birthing attendants to handle medical complications in delivery.
CARE has launched an appeal of $40 million to provide emergency relief and long-term recovery. It takes $250 to provide a month’s worth of food for a family and $220 to provide a family with emergency shelter.
CARE in Nepal
CARE has worked in Nepal since 1978, in areas including food Security, HIV/AIDS, health, education, water and sanitation, and the empowerment of women and girls. CARE responded to massive landslides in Nepal’s Sindhupalchowk district in August 2014, and works in 33 of 75 Nepal’s districts. CARE has more than six decades of experience helping people prepare for disasters, providing lifesaving assistance when a crisis hits, and helping communities recover after the emergency has passed.