Jewish group delivers emergency aid to Nepal

The US Joint Distribution Committee (JDC) is on the ground in Nepal, providing relief to communities affected by catastrophic flash flooding that has killed more than 1300 people and displaced over 21,000.

JDC Global Response Innovative Development (GRID) director Avital Sandler-Loeff and head of disaster response Mickey Noam-Alon are in Nepal overseeing the response.

The floods, triggered by a glacier collapse and intensified by climate-related changes, have devastated northern Nepal. Nearly 5000 people remain missing and more than 650,000 have been affected. Roads, bridges, water systems, health facilities and communications networks have been destroyed, leaving many communities reachable only by helicopter. Damaged water and sanitation systems have raised the risk of disease as families attempt to recover.

JDC GRID was able to respond quickly because of groundwork laid after Nepal’s 2015 earthquake, when JDC worked with local partner Rural Reconstruction Nepal (RRN) for five years to support recovery and strengthen local disaster preparedness.

RRN is now among the local organisations helping lead humanitarian relief efforts, working with government authorities, disaster management committees and the Nepal Red Cross. The relationships built through that partnership allowed JDC GRID and RRN to assess needs and begin delivering assistance within days of the disaster.