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Nepal: Emergency Assistance to Earthquake Survivors – Preparing to distribute relief supplies to mountainous regions yet to receive aid

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The first emergency response team (Noriyasu OKAYAMA and Fukuro KAKIZAWA) of AAR Japan has been operating in Nepal since April 29th, providing relief assistance to earthquake victims.

Our field assessment revealed that mountainous regions such as the Gorkha District and the Sindhupalchowk District were devastated by the earthquake. Relief assistance for these areas had been delayed due to difficult access. AAR Japan decided to distribute emergency relief supplies to these areas, and has been procuring goods and arranging logistics to do so.

The following report is the latest update from Nepal.

The mountainous regions yet to receive aid

In the city of Kathmandu, electricity has been gradually restored and some stores have reopened. The number of people living in tents in open spaces has slowly decreased. However, many people still choose to take refuge outdoors even though their houses survived the earthquake of April 25th. This is because the houses are so old that they fear that they could fall down at any moment in the instance of an aftershock.

The situation in the mountainous regions is more severe. More than 90% of the houses had collapsed in the Gorkha District. Tents and food supplies are starting to arrive in villages along the main paved road and the district government office. However, little support has actually reached the remote villages located deeper in the mountains, even though people come to assess the areas. This is because it is impossible for vehicles to reach them. A magnitude 5 aftershock and occasional rainfall on May 2nd are keeping conditions extremely difficult.

AAR Japan has been cooperating with the local government, the United Nations and other NGOs to conduct an assessment regarding the extent of damage and the needs on the ground. Based on the results of the assessment, we have started procuring supplies and making logistical arrangements. Today, on May 3rd, the second group of our emergency relief team, Chiaki FURUKAWA and Natsuki MATSUMOTO, are arriving in Kathmandu. The team plans to distribute relief supplies in Gorkha District tomorrow and make final adjustments before full-scale distribution.

A week has passed since the earthquake,and assistance from national governments and international organizations such as NGOs are reaching Nepal. However, as the extent of the damage is so extensive, the current levels of aid are still insufficient. Your continued support will be highly appreciated.