Nepal earthquake, one year later: response and recovery

April 25 marks one year since the 7.8 magnitude earthquake that struck Nepal, resulting in widespread destruction. Nearly 9,000 lives were lost, around 22,000 people were injured, and more than 800,000 houses were damaged or destroyed. The Red Cross, with the support of Canadians, responded immediately and three million survivors received emergency aid. Vital relief items such as clean water, food, and shelter materials, were distributed to ensure the survival of tens of thousands of affected people.

Together, here’s what we have achieved

In the immediate aftermath, Red Cross workers and volunteers on the ground were able to provide immediate first aid, relief items, sanitation and hygiene and providing restoring family links services. Despite landslides and blocked roads, Red Cross teams were the first to reach many remote, hard-hit communities.

As teams on the ground continued to distribute relief items, Red Cross emergency field hospitals, including one from the Canadian Red Cross, were flown into villages where the local hospital had been destroyed. Medical teams operated non-stop for weeks to treat thousands of men, women and children impacted by this tragedy.

What’s ahead for Nepal

With one in four people affected, the situation remains complex and changes frequently, but shelter, medical care, livelihood support and water/sanitation were identified as priority needs. Today, work continues with earthquake recovery programming to strengthen local capacity for rebuilding, training, and support. This includes:

• The handover of the field hospital with training and support to develop local capacity to deploy a basic health care unit for disease outbreaks that are endemic in the country.
• Additional training on essential surgical services is planned in partnership with McGill University and University of British Columbia (UBC). 
• The construction of a health facility in Dhunche where the hospital was destroyed.
• Strengthening the capacity of local partners to respond to future disasters. 

The Canadian Red Cross will continue to support the Nepal Red Cross with recovery efforts in partnership with the IFRC, ICRC and other partner Red Cross societies. The Red Cross Movement is taking a community-focused approach, focusing on the people most in need. Five key themes are:

• Health:  Rehabilitation of health facilities and community health programs
• Water, sanitation and hygiene: Water supply and improved sanitation
• Preparedness and capacity: Build the capacity of the Nepal Red cross Society so it is better prepared to respond to future emergencies.
• Livelihoods: A community-based approach to restoring people’s ability to earn a living. Examples include training or cash grants for farmers to replace tools and seeds.
• Shelter: Assistance to owner-driven efforts in rebuilding permanent homes

Thanks to the generosity of individual Canadians, corporations, and local and provincial governments across the country, the Canadian Red Cross raised $27 million to support efforts in Nepal.

See more blog posts on recovering from the earthquake in Nepal.