Caritas Aotearoa New Zealand is appealing for donations to provide humanitarian relief to those affected by the earthquake in Nepal.
Caritas responded rapidly to the magnitude 7.8 earthquake that happened on Saturday.
It was centered 10 miles below the surface, less than 50 miles from the capital of Kathmandu.
Assessments are coming in and Caritas teams in-country are organising the response.
Straight after the earthquake the airport was closed, so Caritas members made plans to send aid overland from India.
“Rescue is the first priority. Lots of people have lost their homes and are out on the street or in open spaces, so we will be looking to provide them with food and temporary shelter,” said Caritas Nepal director, Fr. Pius Perumana S.J. in Kathmandu.
He said that there has been lots of physical damage, electricity has been down, making communications difficult and roads are blocked.
“Lots of houses have fallen down and there are lots with cracks. Thank God it was during the day and on a holiday, as many people were outside when the quake happened.”
“Caritas has a very strong disaster response team who have been responding to other emergencies like the landslides that affected communities in Nepal in August 2014,” says Anna Robertson, Programmes Coordinator for Nepal.
More than 3000 are already reported to have been killed by the quake and subsequent avalanches triggered in the Himalayas.
The death toll is expected to rise.
Donations to assist with the humanitarian response can be made by:
- Donating online using a credit card at www.caritas.org.nz
- Internet banking – account #03 0518 0211216 00
- Phoning 0800 22 10 22 to make credit card donations
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