Nepal Red Cross Society supports disaster affected people


Nepal Red Cross Society has reached to all the flood and landslide affected districts with rescue and relief services after 24 of the 75 districts got affected by the disasters during this year's monsoon. NRCS volunteers have led the rescue and relief services in most of the affected areas. The district branches of the Society have distributed emergency relief materials to 13,579 families as of 23 July 2004.

Since the heavy rains started some two weeks ago 165 persons have already lost their lives, 35 are missing and 293 have been injured. 15,252 houses have been completely destroyed whereas 25,331 houses have been partially damaged. 38,735 families have been displaced from their houses, leaving more than 283,779 persons affected.

Heavy flood during 8-13 July has killed 8 persons and displaced 1,593 families in Dhanusa. Thousands of acres of paddy field have been inundated by the flood in the district. Likewise heavy flooding has killed 12 people in another district of Mahottarai. 118,00 people are displaced in the district. Flooding has completely destroyed 27,42 houses in Siraha district where 8 people have lost their lives. Most people have died in Makawanpur and Sarlahi, where 23 and 24 people have lost their lives respectively. More than 2,500 houses completely and 5,500 partially have been destroyed in Sarlahi leaving 37,000 people affected.

Okhaldhunga had terrible landslide killing 20 people. 2 persons are still missing in the district. Ramechhap, Sindhuli, Khotang, Pyuthan and Kavre are other landslide affected district where 12, 6, 3, 3 and 3 persons have lost their lives respectively.
Saptari, Udaypur, and Jhapa are among other districts where people have lost their lives due to heavy monsoon flooding.

Nepal Red Cross Society National Head Quarter is providing relief assistance by its own resources as well as from the support of its partners. The headquarters has also dispatched skilled manpower for the assessment if the field. Nepal Red Cross branches have deployed their assessment teams on their own and they have been increasing resources at local level and providing the needy people with beaten rice, rice, potato, vegetable, sugar, salt, pulse, noodles and other daily needs. The branches have been working at the local level coordinating various organizations like Care Nepal, ASMAN and others.

However, the emergency need is increasing with the number of the affected population. The emergency relief stock existing with the Nepal Red Cross Society has been seen insufficient to meet the increasing need. So the NRCS and the International Federation have decided to launch an emergency appeal for necessary assistance.