April 30, 2015

EARTHQUAKE IN NEPAL
April 30, 2015| No. 6
By the Numbers
7.8
SITUATION OVERVIEW
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magnitude earthquake
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39 out of 75
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districts affected
5,006
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people reported dead
10,196
people injured
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Source: UN OCHA Sit Rep Number 6
April 29 2015
At 11:41am on April 25th, a 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck
approximately 50 miles northwest of Kathmandu, according to
the US Geological Survey (USGS). Tremors were felt across
northern India and neighboring Bangladesh and Pakistan.
The most deadly avalanche ever recorded hit Mount Everest and
destroyed most of Base Camp 1.
According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of
Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) the most affected areas are
Gorkha, Lamjung and Sindhupalchok as well as Kathmandu,
Bhakktapur and Lalitpur Districts.
It is estimated that 2.8 million Nepalese are displaced, as over
70,000 houses are believed to be destroyed and another
530,000 homes damaged across the 39 affected districts.
Many people are leaving the Kathmandu Valley and joining
families in less-affected areas.
Mobile phone networks in Kathmandu remain functional.
However, network outage and overloads remain common. Power
throughout the city is limited with most households and offices
mainly relying on generator power.
INTERNATIONAL HUMANITARIAN RESPONSE EFFORTS
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Photo courtesy of DanChurchAid
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LWR is working in close coordination with the Nepal Red Cross,
the Government of Nepal, other NGOs and the UN. In addition,
the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent
Societies has been closely involved in supporting the
Government’s response, particularly in coordinating the shelter
cluster.
The Action by Churches Together (ACT) Alliance, an umbrella
organization of over 140 faith based organizations and of which
LWR is a member, has issued an alert and will be issuing an
appeal by the end of this week. LWR is an active member of the
ACT Forum Nepal and is coordinating with Lutheran World
Federation regarding implementation to avoid overlapping areas
and to plan complimentary activities where feasible.
The Government of Nepal has declared a state of emergency
and is requesting humanitarian assistance. They have stated the
most important needs right now are search and rescue,
assistance to those injured, and clearing debris. Immediate
needs include food, shelter, WASH, as well as medical tents,
medication, surgical kits and body bags.
Death toll numbers and information on total number of houses
damaged is still being collected but damage to infrastructure is
extensive and the number of deaths is expected to continue to
rise.
LWR’S RESPONSE
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LWR is coordinating with the United Nations to ship
over 9,240 Quilts, 1,000 Personal Care Kits and 100
water filtration units from our pre-positioned stock at
one of the UN warehouses in Dubai. These items will
be distributed in partnership with Lutheran World
Federation in the Kathmandu area.
LWR has committed an initial funding of $500,000 to
the response and is actively raising funds for additional
programming. The planned response will work with
LWR’s long term partner COPPADES and focus on NonFood Items (NFI) distributions, cash transfers and
shelter in Lamjung District, close to the epicenter of the
earthquake and where 75% of the houses are reported
to have been destroyed.
LWR is currently assessing the needs in Gorkha District
to prepare a similar response to that in Lamjung
District as detailed above.
Assessments are underway and coordination meetings
on shelter and logistics clusters with the Government
of Nepal, other INGOs and local NGOs are taking place
on a daily basis.
In addition to the LWR staff deployed from India, LWR
is deploying staff from headquarter and the regional
office to help support LWR’s country team in
responding to the disaster.
LWR IN THE COUNTRY
In Nepal, LWR currently works with local partners on
agriculture, food security, climate change adaptation,
emergency response and disaster risk reduction (DRR)
projects. LWR's work focuses on areas of western Nepal,
including a current program based in Lamjung district, the
epicenter of the earthquake.
Last September, LWR Nepal responded to the severe
flooding in Bardiya District, western Nepal, with cash for
work, shelter and livelihood recovery programs.
LWR began working in Nepal in 2009 to improve food
security in for indigenous, Dalit and marginalized
communities. Despite recent declines in poverty, Nepal
remains one of the poorest countries in the world. Rural
communities often struggle with household food security and
are extremely vulnerable to frequent natural hazards,
including flash floods, landslides and earthquakes. Poverty
affords communities few resources to prepare for or mitigate
the effects of these hazards and even fewer resources to
recover, which can destroy development gains. LWR
promotes resilience and long-term development in the
communities in which it works by better preparing
communities for natural hazards and helping families realize
food security and savings.