IRC Joins Relief Effort in Nepal After Monsoon Rains Cause Flooding

05 Sep 2006 - The International Rescue Committee has joined relief efforts in Nepal after fierce monsoon rains caused flooding and landslides in the mid-and far-western regions of the country. In one district alone, over 30,000 people have been affected, including 3,000 people who lost their homes. Many families reported that flood waters rose so quickly that their crops and food stores were destroyed. The demand for food, water, shelter and medical assistance has taxed local authorities. The IRC has joined with the national Red Cross, U.N. agencies and other nongovernmental organizations to coordinate a response for emergency needs, including distribution of rice, purified water, tarpaulins, blankets, clothing and buckets.

Over the next two weeks, an IRC mobile medical team will provide medical services alongside local health staff in Mohomadpur and Rajapur, two of the most flooded and resource-poor village districts. The team also hopes to distribute portable hygiene kits. Data collected in the affected areas will be fed into a central information system that will support the coordination and monitoring of the emergency response. The Nepal country program is the IRC’s newest, having opened in November 2005.