1.Rescue and Relief Programme
2.Disaster Preparedness and Community Based Disaster Preparedness
3.Prevention and Mitigation
4.Rehabilitation and Reconstruction
5.Refugee Assistance Program

1. Rescue and Relief Services

Because of its location in the disaster prone zone, natural calamities like earthquakes and floods result in disasters of various scales throughout the country every year. Besides this, fire is one of the common disasters that occurs more in the Terai (plain) region.

This year, heavy monsoon rain causing landslide, flash floods and drainage flood affected 13,108 families. Altogether 6,318 houses were completely destroyed. More than 72,826 people were affected, 240persons killed and 2,541 persons injured. In mid and far western region of Nepal, widespread epidemic of encephalitis killed more than 76 persons. Nepal Red Cross Society district chapters provided medicines and relief materials to the victims.
Whereas distribution of relief items like clothing materials, blankets, cooking utensils, roofing sheets and medicaments takes place as per the guidelines of National Headquarters, immediate responses like evacuation and temporary provisions are managed by local units of the Society. In the year 2000-2001 NRCS provided relief material to about 65,538 disaster victims.

2. Disaster Preparedness :

The major aspects of disaster preparedness are :
i) Relief Supply Management (Warehouse Management)
ii) Princep Disaster Relief Fund
iii) Human Resource Development
iv) Community Based Disaster Preparedness(CBDP) programme

i) Relief Supply Management (Warehouse Management)

NRCS mobilises necessary resources internally and, at times, externally to manage relief supplies. NRCS NHQs encourages all district chapters to manage relief supplies at district level.

One Central Level, 4 regional level & 4 zonal level warehouses of NRCS are located at different regions of the country. In addition, local level depots have been established at various strategic districts for providing immediate service to the neighbouring areas and districts. There are altogether 27 warehouses/depots throughout the country.

ii) NRCS Princep Disaster Relief Fund

NRCS Princep Disaster Relief Fund is instituted at regional and zonal levels. So far, a sum of NRs. 17.37 million has been collected under this fund. The interest accruing from this capital amount is utilized for replenishment and transportation of relief materials in the respective warehouses. But last year, the interest of this amount has been collected as per the decision taken by Central Disaster Management Committee.

iii) Human Resource Development:

To prepare the trained manpower, Disaster Management Department has organized different trainings viz. Disaster Management Orientation Training for Women, Disaster Management Trainers Training, District Level Disaster Management Training this year. Altogether 70 persons have been trained in the various level trainings.

iv) Community Based Disaster Preparedness (CBDP) Programme :

With the objective of getting communities involved in disaster preparedness, CBDP has been implemented in 11 districts of the country as a pilot programme with the bilateral support from Lutheran World Federation (LWF), British Red Cross and DFID. But this programme has been phased out from two districts viz. Baglung and Parbat. The remaining programme implementing districts are Banke, Bardia, Morang, Sunsari, Sankhuwasabha, Bhojpur, Khotang, Syangja and Nawalparasi. The main objective of this programme is to prepare the communities for facing probable disasters and also to empower community people in planning, managing and eventually coping with small scale disasters locally on their own.

During this period, a pictorial manual "How to Save from Floods and Landslides" has been published. The programme brochure has been revised and published. Likewise, the Community Trainers have been appointed in new districts. During this period, CBDP TOT and Community Level Disaster Management Trainings have been conducted. Altogether 529 persons benefited from these training programmes.

Since May 2006 NRCS started implementation of a CBDP program in Kathmandu Valley and the districts of Morang, Kapilbastu and Bardiya. The pilot programme is funded by the European Commission’ Humanitarian Aid department http://ec.europa.eu/echo/index_en.htm and Belgian Red Cross Flanders and Danish Red Cross. 15 communities in the Terai districts have been identified and ToT is progressing. The programme will focus on capacity building of the local community and gives support for various equipment and small scale mitigation works like gabion boxes and plantations to reduce the risk of flooding.
In Kathmandu Valley 10 wards have been selected and the programme will end up with conduction of mock drill exercises and increased public awareness about risk reduction in case of earthquake. This pilot programme is scheduled to run up to June 2007.

Nepal Red Cross Society has since May 2006 started implementation of a CBDP program in Kathmandu Valley and the districts of Morang, Kapilbastu and Bardiya. The pilot programme is funded by the European Commission’ Humanitarian Aid department http://ec.europa.eu/echo/index_en.htm and Belgian Red Cross Flanders and Danish Red Cross. 15 communities in the Terai districts have been identified and ToT is progressing. The programme will focus on capacity building of the local community and gives support for various equipment and small scale mitigation works like gabion boxes and plantations to reduce the risk of flooding.
In Kathmandu Valley 10 wards have been selected and the programme will end up with conduction of mock drill exercises and increased public awareness about risk reduction in case of earthquake. This pilot programme is scheduled to run up to June 2007.

v) Rehabilitation/Reconstruction:

Nepal Red Cross Society implemented Chisapani Community Development and Disaster Management Programme from March 1998 to August 2000 at Chisapani of Agra VDC, Makawanpur district with the support of Japan International Co-operation Agency (JICA), Nepal. This area was severely damaged by devastating floods, landslides and debris flow.

The main objective of this programme was to set up Chisapani as a model village based on disaster management through capacity building of the community on disaster mitigation, natural resource management and improvement of socio- economic condition. Formation of community level organisational structures, construction of multi purpose evacuation shelters, prevention of landslides by bio-engineering and landslide retention structures were the major components of the programme. It was and ntegrated, innovative, pioneering and challenging model programme. The achievements of the implemented programme result are very much promising.

Details of Bhutanese Refugees
Refugee Assistance Programme (RAP) :

Influx of Bhutanese refugees to Nepal started in the late 1990. These refugees, mostly ethnic Nepalese, had fled away from Bhutan out of fear and harsh treatment by the local authorities under their new set of citizenship and immigration laws.

Total population of 98,364 recorded till 31st July, 2000, has been sheltered in 7 different camps in Jhapa and Morang. The influx is not expected to continue furthermore. Although several rounds of meetings between Nepal and Bhutan at Foreign Minister level have taken place, no significant progress has been made towards finding a durable solution to this problem yet.

Nepal Red Cross Society is responsible for transportation, storage and distribution of food items (rice, pulse, vegetable oil, sugar, salt, vegetables and WSB or 'unilito'); procurement, storage & distribution of kerosene, non-food items (buckets, jerry cans, stoves, bathing & laundry soaps, sanitation buckets etc.) and vegetables. Moreover, distribution of seeds for kitchen gardening, operation of ambulance service, maintenance of old cooking stoves, afforestation and organizing fire prevention/fighting programmes in the camps are also taken care of by the NRCS.

NRCS has been operating Community Forest Programme under Refugee Affected Rehabilitation Programme (RARP) with support from UNHCR and HMG, Ministry of Forests and Soil Conservation. In addition, NRCS is operating kitchen gardening and nutrition education programmes at the refugee camps with financial support of the World Food Prorgamme.

NRCS is working in close collaboration with HMG of Nepal, International Federation of Red Cross & Red Crescent Societies, WFP, UNHCR and other relevant organizations to render the assistance to the refugees.

NRCS/RAP
Population of Bhutanese Refugees as of 31st January, 2002.

For details, please contact us: disaster@nrcs.org