Thomas Meier, who works for humedica in Nepal, reports: “At this point in the monsoon season, none of us had expected to experience a flash flood of this magnitude.” Massive amounts of water and mud have devastated entire villages in Nepal and Tibet. The Bagmati Province, west of Kathmandu, has been particularly hard hit by the disaster. Many people have lost their lives, and hundreds are still missing, including tourists.
Humedica is in close contact with a local partner organization and is assessing where assistance is needed most urgently right now. “We need to figure out how we can help those affected as quickly and effectively as possible,” explains Meier. In addition to clean water, other daily necessities are often needed in the wake of such a disaster: “Many people have lost everything in a very short time due to the floods. Now they urgently need support,” says Heinke Rauscher, Executive Director of humedica. Anyone wishing to support humedica’s planned relief efforts can do so via the humedica website, specifying “Flash Floods in Nepal” as the donation purpose.
humedica has been active in Nepal for many years. Near the region now affected by the disaster, the aid organization is already supporting a disaster preparedness project. Not only is equipment—such as medical supplies—kept on hand there for emergencies, but people—and medical professionals in particular—are also learning, among other things, how to better prepare for natural disasters and respond in an emergency.