Nepal Flash Floods: Direct Relief Mobilizing Aid Around Medical Needs

More than 95 people were killed, and hundreds remain missing after a catastrophic flash flood swept through border areas of Nepal and the Chinese territory of Tibet on Wednesday.

Infrastructure in and around the Bhatekoshi River, including bridges and buildings, was swept away during the deluge, which may have been triggered by an ice avalanche from a breaking glacier. Rescues were continuing across the region on Wednesday, and health needs are expected to rise. Health providers will administer trauma and wound care, surgery, blood products, and antibiotics, and resources will be needed for emergency medical teams and first responders.

Direct Relief is mobilizing support around potential medical needs in the region and is in communication with partner organizations.

Direct Relief has shared a list of available medical inventory with Nepal's Ministry of Health, as well as nonprofit organizations in the country, including Mountain Heart Nepal, which connects medical care and outreach to the country's hard-to-access areas.

Direct Relief has a long history of support for Nepal, including during the country's devastating 2015 earthquake, which killed 9,000 people and caused massive damage to infrastructure, including health services. The organization has been part of ongoing health support to the country since 2009, providing more than $119 million in medical aid to Nepal.

The organization will continue to respond to medical needs as they become known.