World Vision mobilises staff and resources to help communities In Nepal hit by earthquake today

Disaster management experts from World Vision on the ground to provide relief assistance to the Nepal response. The most immediate need is portable water, food, household supplies, temporary shelter and protection for children.

However, as night falls, power continues to be down in the capital city Kathmandu and in surrounding areas, making the initial assessments of the scale of destruction and displacement of people difficult to determine. 

Liz Satow, World Vision’s Country director for Nepal, said:  “Buildings and walls across Kathmandu have collapsed, although it is hard to tell how serious and extensive the damage is. We know that hundreds, of people have been killed and injured.  Many people are too frightened to go into the buildings due to fear they will collapse with aftershocks.”

The Nepal government has declared a state of emergency as over 900 deaths have been reported and the toll is likely to rise. Up to 4 million people around Nepal may be impacted. 

World Vision’s Katherine Rose Yee said, “We were in the square when the earth shook. I was so scared that I thought I was going to die. I was shouting ‘open space, open space’ as we were rushed to safety.

World Vision staff visiting a local hospital says that there has been an influx of injured patients and an increasing need to help manage the crowds of people requiring assistance.

World Vision is particularly concerned for communities directly impacted by the earthquake around the epi-centre, especially vulnerable children.  

World Vision will be coordinating with the Nepal government and other NGO partners on the ground on all humanitarian response. We are currently working with 43 local partners in our operating districts. 

World Vision has been in Nepal since 1982. Before the earthquake struck Nepal, World Vision had been working in districts across the country with local authorities to identify disaster risks and help communities prepare for the worst. 

World Vision recognises Nepal’s vulnerability to earthquakes and the need for disaster risk reduction work, and as such, has introduced and implemented programmes with special focus on keeping schools safe from natural hazards like landslides, flooding and quakes. 

FOR MORE/SPOKESPEOPLE IN NEPAL CALL the MEDIA HOTLINE: 07956593111