SOS Nepal: Helping those affected by the devastating floods
Updated: Sep 7, 2026 Reading time: 4 minutes Share: Share an articleWe have launched SOS Nepal, an appeal to help people affected by devastating flash floods. We have released CZK 1 million from our Club of Friends to provide immediate relief.
We are already distributing food aid on the ground and helping to run emergency accommodation centres.
To date, Czech donors have contributed more than CZK 38 million to the SOS Nepal fundraising campaign. Help us support the people of Nepal by donating to SOS Nepal.
Floods in Nepal and neighbouring Tibet have claimed about 1,200 lives, with around 5,000 people still missing. Among those missing are hundreds of foreign tourists and pilgrims. The floodwaters have also destroyed 19 bridges and nearly 40 kilometres of roads, whilst local hydroelectric power stations have also been damaged. According to initial estimates, more than 2,000 households have been affected in the area where we previously operated alone.
Distributing the first food aid packages
838 people have already received our food aid, and the team is assisting the local authorities with the running of emergency accommodation centres and the coordination of aid. Three lorries carrying further humanitarian supplies are on their way to the area, and the aid is being prepared in the four worst-affected areas.
Rasuwa district severely affected
Among others, the disaster affected the Rasuwa district, where we worked for a long time after the 2015 earthquake and where we still have strong ties to local communities and government. According to initial estimates, more than 2,000 households were affected in this area alone. However, the precise extent of the damage and the number of people affected are still being determined.
Our team is in contact with local governments in Uttargaya and Naukunda to assess their needs and immediate assistance options. Our immediate priorities include identifying the needs of affected communities, supporting local coordination, and ensuring humanitarian assistance gets to those who need it.
Czechs have already donated more than CZK 38 million to SOS Nepal appeal
We launched the SOS Nepal appeal to help local residents immediately after the floods swept through the Nepalese valleys, on Wednesday 26 August.
To date, Czech donors have contributed a sum exceeding CZK 38 million.
We have released CZK 1 million for immediate assistance
We have released one million crowns from our Club of Friends for immediate assistance to people affected by the floods. This will allow us to respond quickly to emergencies before other sources of funding become available.
Currently, the greatest humanitarian needs include:
- food
- emergency shelter
- safe drinking water
- health care
- psychosocial support
To ensure we can provide more support, we have launched SOS Nepal, which will finance aid to people affected by the floods.
You can also donate directly to the account: 9002222900 / 0300
There is a lack of an early warning system in the area
The warning of the flash flood wave came very late – about 15 minutes.
"The problem is that there is no early warning system. It could have been a glacial lake outburst flood, or a GLOF, or a situation where the river was blocked for a few hours and then the dam that was created broke. But, because all this happened in Tibet, Nepal has no way to monitor this area. Even the Chinese government has no information yet, " Sabin Adhikari said.
"It will be very difficult for local communities and the government to manage everything in a short period of time—to provide food, other basic needs and restore services, especially health, education and schools. We are seeking additional funding to support the government and the people affected by this flood—from the immediate response itself to reconstruction and helping people regain a dignified life. This will be the main challenge," he adds.
The flash floods also washed away our supplies of humanitarian aid
The situation locally remains unclear. Authorities are continuing to verify the extent of the damage and the number of people affected, and more detailed data is expected in the coming hours.
The floods have impacted our disaster preparedness capacities. In the village of Uttargaya, humanitarian aid and disaster kits, which we had deployed in case of an emergency, were washed away.
We worked in the Rasuwa area immediately after the 2015 earthquake and in recent years have worked with local governments to strengthen disaster preparedness through the Pratibaddha II and III projects. The last of these projects only ended in June of this year. Our long-standing presence in the area has given us a strong relationship with local authorities and a good understanding of the local environment.
