Our field team is currently reaching out to vulnerable Gurkha pensioners as Nepal faces its worst rains in 15 years.
Beginning on 11 August 2017, the country’s annual monsoon took a turn for the worse, triggering widespread large-scale flooding and landslides in 27 of the country’s 75 districts.
Current situation and national impact
Across the nation, search and rescue efforts are underway with a total of 8,300 trained security forces already deployed. Around 70 people have already been killed and dozens more are missing.
So far, there are no casualties to report among the ex-Gurkha community. In the most affected areas, our own patrol teams are risking their own safety to reach vulnerable pensioners and provide medical aid, relief items and cash grants where necessary.
Our absolute priority is ensuring that our Gurkha pensioners are safe, secure and as comfortable as possible. We won’t rest until everyone is accounted for.
Maj Hemchandra Rai MBE BEM, Deputy Field Director
The full extent of the disaster is not yet known. Many affected areas remain inaccessible due to damaged roads and bridges, while communications and electricity supplies have been severely disrupted.
This emergency comes at a time when Nepal is still struggling to recover from the 2015 earthquake, and when much reconstruction and recovery work remains to be done. Five of the current flood affected districts are also earthquake affected districts.
