In Nepal earthquake response, topography is central player

Despite facing incredible challenges, including treacherous topography and unpredictable weather, Caritas relief workers have succeeded in providing emergency relief to hundreds of thousands of Nepalis whose lives were devastated by the April earthquake.

Through sheer ingenuity and determination, Caritas teams navigated their way around steep, windy roads on the country’s iconic mountainside to help those communities most in need.

From the very start of the crisis, it was no simple feat orchestrating the transportation and distribution of vital relief supplies.

The urgency was pressing at the outset: The earthquake, the country’s worst in 80 years, claimed 8,669 lives and destroyed more than 500,000 homes, buildings, and schools. What’s more, with the onset of monsoon season in June, torrential rains have been regularly washing out roads, and have led to the cancellation of helicopter flights of critical cargo.

The weather has also led to blocked access to hard-to-reach areas, and has caused dangerous landslides. Families continue to live under basic tarps, tin sheeting or simple materials on the grounds outside their destroyed homes, with minimal protection from the elements.

“When we think of the operational challenges this weather creates from a programming standpoint, we can only imagine the hardship these conditions present in people’s day-to-day lives,” says Jennifer Poidatz, Humanitarian Director with Caritas Nepal partner, CRS.

With the monsoon season lasting through September, these next few months will be harder than ever. Many villages that are most in need of support are located in isolated, high elevations.  In fact, to set up operations in these areas, Caritas and its partners hired expert Nepalese trekkers—who normally take responsibility for navigating adventures for tourists. Instead, their task was to navigate the challenge of the Upper Himalayan terrain for Caritas to set up camp and establish operations. This involved using their experience to drive up steep mountainsides with no roads. They also helped identify safe routes for transportation and distributions of supplies. In addition, the trekkers communicated GPS points with the UN’s World Food Program for the landing and take off of its cargo helicopters on the mountaintops.

“The biggest challenge is how we bring materials here. In these areas now, there is nowhere to walk at the moment. It is only one way—and that is up,” says Chandra Ale, an emergency consultant and Nepalese expert trekker supporting the Caritas response in the Upper Himalayan district of Prok. “It probably takes people ten days to walk to the nearest city because of the landslides. With clouds or rains, it’s often impossible for helicopters to fly here.”

Caritas was the first humanitarian agency to provide emergency support in the Prok and Lho regions, by way of helicopter. Because of weight restrictions on the choppers, transportation of supplies requires multiple flights per day.

It remains a race against time to provide people with supplies before communities are unreachable due to rains, washed out roads and landslides. Distributions are largely dependent on safe weather for road and air travel.

To date, the global Caritas network has provided 65,837 families (329,185 people) with critical shelter materials, living supplies, blankets, food, water treatment and hygiene kits.  Teams continue to work around the clock, in difficult conditions to reach people with key supplies.

As the skies clear in October, the hope is that the Nepalese people will be able to fully rebuild their lives after so much devastation.  Only time will tell how long that takes. However, one thing is certain– Caritas will always be right by their side.

“We are the same blood, we are brothers and we are in this together,” says Ale.

 

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