Slideshow: Red Cross Continues to Help Nepal Earthquake Survivors

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A Nepal Red Cross volunteer collects relief for remote villages in the Dhading districts of Nepal. Sailendra Kharel/IFRC

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Nepal Red Cross Volunteer Manisha Bashyal distributes water purification tablets to locals living temporarily at camp in the Bhaktapur districts of Nepal. Sailendra Kharel/IFRC

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Many villages near the mountainous epicenter of the Nepal mearthquake are almost completely demolished. In the village called Sathi Ghar, almost no wall is left standing. Merlijn Stoffels/IFRC

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Dr. Sagun Sthapit was enlisted by his mother Pushpa, to volunteer at the Nepal Red Cross health post in Sitapaila, Kathmandu which provides medical care for earthquake survivors. Patrick Fuller/IFRC

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A 77-year-old woman picks through the debris to find a picture of her husband. Sadly, her husband was killed in the earthquake. Many villages near the mountainous epicenter of the Nepal earthquake are almost completely demolished. Merlijn Stoffels/IFRC

May 04, 2015

More than a week later, the global Red Cross network, led by the Nepal Red Cross and supported by the American Red Cross, continues to provide emergency humanitarian assistance following the devastating 7.8 magnitude earthquake in Nepal. Some eight million people, nearly a third of the population of Nepal, have been affected by the quake and 2.8 million people have been displaced.

The American Red Cross has committed an initial $1 million to the relief operation and is working closely with the Nepal Red Cross and the global Red Cross network to coordinate additional support. The American Red Cross is also providing remote mapping and information management support and is arranging supplies from its warehouses in Kuala Lumpar and Dubai, including non-food items such as tarps, buckets, kitchen sets and blankets to be sent to Nepal, although logistical transport remains a challenge.

Field assessment teams have arrived in Nepal and are assessing and responding to the destruction. Eight American Red Cross disaster specialists are in Nepal to support emergency relief, cash transfer programming, information management, recovery planning and IT/telecoms. An additional specialist, focused on social media coordination, has been deployed to Geneva to help with global Red Cross efforts online, bringing the total number of currently deployed specialists assisting the Nepal earthquake effort to nine.

Three ways to help those affected by the Nepal Earthquake:

GIVE: To help people affected by disasters big and small, visit Redcross.org or contact your local American Red Cross chapter.

MAP: To help with critical mapping efforts, visit http://tasks.hotosm.org. No experience is needed, just a computer and internet connection.

SHARE: Spread the word on relief efforts and ways to help online. Find and share information on social channels, including the global Red Cross Twitter account and American Red Cross Facebook and Twitter posts.

About the American Red Cross:

The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides comfort to victims of disasters; supplies about 40% of the nation’s blood; teaches skills that save lives; distributes international humanitarian aid; and supports veterans, military members and their families. The Red Cross is a nonprofit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to deliver its mission. For more information, please visit redcross.org or CruzRojaAmericana.org, or follow us on social media.