SOS Nepal: Helping those affected by the devastating floods

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 1,200 households were affected in this area alone. However, the 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.

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.