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New York, April 30, 2015—International humanitarian organization, Concern Worldwide, is preparing to distribute an initial package of shelter and relief supplies to 10,000 families in four of the 10 hardest-hit districts following the 7.8-magnitude earthquake that hit the country on April 25. Concern has partnered with two national organizations to carry out the distributions in Sindulpalchowk, Dolakha, Ramecchap, and Gorkha districts.
“We are focusing on reaching vulnerable and isolated communities that are yet to receive assistance and our top priority will be to give people shelter as well as hygiene items, blankets, water purification tablets, and other relief items,” says Ros O’Sullivan, Concern Worldwide’s Emergency Response Team leader on the ground in Kathmandu. “We are sending prepositioned emergency supplies from Mumbai and Delhi and are working with local partner organizations to purchase additional materials.”
Getting materials into the country and around the affected districts will be extremely challenging, as air traffic at the airport remains congested and road travel can take days. Concern will be working with two local organizations that have deep experience and networks in these areas so that items can get out as quickly as possible. Damaged infrastructure and roads, rubble, and landslides will make reaching mountainous and more rural communities extremely difficult. Even before the earthquake, land density in Nepal was one of the poorest in South Asia, with over one-third of people living in areas that are four hours away from an all-weather road.
The earthquake, the worst the country has seen in 80 years, affected 39 districts. An estimated nearly three million Nepalese are displaced, though the true scale of the disaster is still unknown. Priority needs currently include shelter, clean water, food, and medicine. Rain is forecast in the coming days, underscoring the need for emergency shelter like tents and tarpaulins.
Concern Worldwide worked in Nepal from 2006 to 2010, focusing on livelihoods, water and sanitation, and nutrition. The organization has been an early responder in a number of earthquakes in the region and globally, including the 2005 Pakistan earthquake and the 2010 Haiti earthquake.
