Earthquake Crushes the Country of Nepal

A 7.8 magnitude earthquake hit Nepal on Saturday the 25th of April and reduced many towns and small villages to a pile of rubble. The earthquake has killed more than 5,000 people and still climbing to over 10,000 injured. Even five days after, the relief has yet to reach the people and they are getting desperate. Communities are battling not only the loss of homes and people but also the cold and hunger. 3 million people are still in need of food aid.

The rescue teams from Nepal and other nations are operating in the capital Kathmandu and the surrounding area, but landslides and poor weather have hampered efforts to reach isolated districts. Correspondents say that there is a severe shortage of helicopters, but China is expected to send more, but Nepal has also appealed to other countries for further aircraft.

On the 29th of April the United Nations Launched a “flash appeal” of $415 million to help Nepal for the next 3 months. By the first of May they had only received only 5.8 million.

Some of the Nepalese people have a growing amount of anger towards the government and the choices in how to respond to the disaster. The people feel that the help is not being used in the right way.

These people need help and the following organizations are trying to provide that;

• The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies have provided 75,000 valuable people with food, water, and shelter.
• The World Food Program is flying helicopters to remote villages and trucking food to the district of Gorkha, one of the worst-hit areas, and handing out high-energy biscuits.
• The World Health Organization is distributing medical kits to doctors in Nepal which were hoped to help 40,000 people for three months.
• USAID has given the Nepalese government an initial $1 million and sent a Disaster Assistance Response Team to Nepal.
• Doctors Without Borders is sending a surgical team from Brussels, and an eight medical teams from Bihar state in India to the affected areas.
• according to http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rundown/nepal-earthquake-efforts/

If you are considering donating please consider the organizations above and make sure you know where your money is going as the people of Nepal need our help.