International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies
1IQuestions and Answers / Nepal Earthquake / 2 June 2015
All communication materials are updated regularly on FedNet:
RESPONSE
Q. What is the Red Cross movement doing in Nepal?
The IFRC is working in coordination with the Nepal Red Cross and other partners to provide relief in the 14 most affected districts of Nepal following the devastating 7.8 magnitude earthquake that struck on 25 April 2015. From the beginning, the Nepal Red Cross has been at the forefront of this response, deploying 7,970 volunteers from 50 district chapters across the country so far. The Nepal Red Cross plays an important auxiliary role to the government and has designated responsibilities in disaster preparedness and response in the government’s contingency plans at national and district levels.
From the moment the earthquake struck, Red Cross first aiders were on the scene saving lives. The Nepal Red Cross also had pre-positioned relief supplies for around 100,000 people. With the support of the global Red Cross network, the Nepal Red Cross is coordinating distribution of emergency shelter and basic household items; providing emergency health and care including water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH); supporting livelihoods, distributing cash, managing the dignified handling and burial of the bed and providing restoring family links services.
This work is happening in parallel to planning around recovery. The IFRC is supporting the Nepal Red Cross Recovery Framework, which is closely linked to the Government of Nepal’s recovery priorities. This framework takes a community-focused approach, placing priority considerations on beneficiary needs and focuses on the key recovery elements of safer shelter, health, hygiene and livelihoods and embracing key disaster risk reductions.
Q. At this point in the response, what are the main humanitarian concerns and needs?
As monsoon season looms, people in remote hilltop villages and mountainous areas remain extremely vulnerable. Reaching these communities with emergency shelter materials such as tents and tarpaulins is one of our highest priorities. It’s vital we reach these communities before the rains render roads impassable and cut off entire communities.
Conditions for people living under tarpaulins are poor so the risk for deterioration in people’s health can be expected. Ensuring that people have adequate shelter, nutrition and access to clean water and sanitation is vital to prevent the threats of illness and disease.
The Red Cross is focusing its efforts on 14 of the most seriously affected districts where we are aiming to reach hundreds of thousands of people. But it takes time. Road infrastructure in Nepal is so poor that the logistics of delivering aid to many areas present a major challenge. We are already seeing a generally increasing difficulty of access to some of the more remote areas due to frequent landslides following heavy rains. This has restricted many planned mobile clinics, psychosocial support and community health activities.
The global Red Cross appeal for Nepal is significantly underfunded. It is a long, hard road to recovery and the global community must not forget about the people of Nepal.
The IFRClaunched an emergency appeal with a budget of CHF 85M and to date, we only have 51% coverage. Most of the funding has been through funding by Red Cross and Red Crescent partners but also from Governments. Efforts to mobilize additional funds, especially for the recovery phase, are on going but additional resources are required. With the monsoon season quickly approaching, additional funding is critical to keep an already dire situation in Nepal from worsening.
Q. Are health services being prioritised in the Red Cross response?
The Red Cross has been leading the way on the health response. We have deployed a number of health ERU’s including field hospitals and mobile health units that are in operation across the most affected districts, although access for mobile clinics are becoming increasing difficult. As the number of earthquake related trauma cases being seen declines, we are treating more common diseases, including long-term chronic illnesses such as arthritis, high blood pressure and diabetes. We are also treating injuries associated with rebuilding and wound infections.
The earthquake has disrupted many of the country’s vital health posts so the Red Cross will be providing this additional support until they can be properly re-established. So far our health teams have seen more than 26,500 patients.
The Red Cross is also prioritising community based prevention activities.Nepal Red Cross volunteers are carrying out hygiene promotion sessions in a bid to prevent disease outbreaks particularly during the monsoon season. The teams are also educating communities about good nutrition and promoting breast-feeding to lactating mothers. Volunteers are running information sessions on basic first aid. Field hospital health staff are referring patients to these educational sessions as part of their treatment.
Q. How is the Red Cross ensuring that aid in Nepal is being most effectively delivered where it is needed most?
The Nepal Red Cross has a strong community-based presence throughout Nepal. It has an extensive network of chapters and sub-chapters across all affected areas and thousands of volunteers from 50 district chapters across the country have been deployed on the response.
In a context like Nepal, where already poor road networks and infrastructure have been damaged, there are many logistical challenges. Every day, trucks of supplies are reaching affected districts but the last mile is the most challenging. We have to use innovative approaches to reach remote settlements like enlisting the help of local porters who can carry supplies of up to 30kg including food and shelter kits to people in the most remote and difficult to reach villages.
Q. Why are there goods sitting in warehouses when people need them now?
The IFRC is running a huge logistical operation. Warehouses facilities have been established to hold relief materials when they first come into the country, but on a temporary basis. These materials are then being trucked out to Red Cross district chapters for distribution to earthquake survivors based on detailed needs assessments. Our relief resources are finite and distributions are prioritised to communities in greatest need.
One of our largest temporary warehouses is in Bharatpur where relief materials are arriving cross-border from India. Bharatpur is not one of our 14 priority districts targeted under our emergency operation so there are no plans to distribute items in this area at this time.
Q. What will the IFRC appeal be used for?
The appeal will help the Nepal Red Cross to meet the immediate and long-term recovery needs of 700,000 people for a period of 24 months. Funds will be channelled through various sectors including; emergency shelter and support for rebuilding permanent housing; food and non-food relief; cash distributions; livelihoods support; clean water and sanitation; health and care including psychosocial support.
Q. There are reports that victims of the disaster are increasingly frustrated that they have not received any help. Is aid getting through?
Red Cross aid has been getting through since day one of this disaster and in fact, the Red Cross has remained the biggest distributor of tarpaulins since the start of operations. In the first days of any major emergency, it is always local responders who have the biggest impact, many of whom were Nepal Red Cross volunteers and community members. Nepal Red Cross has been on the ground since the earthquake struck, working with the Government and other organizations to deliver emergency assistance. NRCS first aid teams have been very active and volunteers distributed stockpiles of prepositioned relief within the first week and has scaled-up significantly in recent weeks.
We understand the frustrations of everyone affected by this disaster. They have lost loved ones; many have lost their homes and require urgent assistance. Distributions up to this point have been carried out in areas where the Nepal Red Cross consider the needs to be greatest, and where we can transport available stocks. In disasters of this scale, it always takes time to mobilize a large-international relief effort, particularly in a country with so many logistical challenges.
We realize that in these situations, communicating with affected communities on important humanitarian issues is critical in order to understand and respond to their needs better. We are working with other humanitarian partners to ensure we improve our engagement with communities.
Q. Local media reports have suggested people who are not eligible to receive assistance are taking advantage of cash distributions. How does the Red Cross verify people’s identity for cash and relief if they have lost their IDs?
Verifying identity after a huge disaster like this is never straightforward.
In the first instance, the authorities from each ward in each Village District Committee (VDC) provide beneficiary lists. Where there are doubts over an individual’s identity a process of community verification will take place.
The Nepal Red Cross has a presence in local communities across the country so many claimants will be known to the local chapter. Where they are not, our staff and volunteers will speak to the community to check the veracity of the details given, such as how many members there are in their family and how long they have lived in the area, the damage to their house.
Once a person has been assessed and assigned beneficiary status they are given a Red Cross beneficiary card that serves as a form of ID for receiving relief supplies. The government is also providing beneficiary cards to those who are eligible for assistance and temporary is also issuing temporary ID cards.
While we do our best to ensure that aid goes to the most in need, we cannot guarantee that some people will claim opportunistically but our systems mean misuse is kept to a minimum.
Q. Is the Red Cross working with the security forces to deliver humanitarian assistance?
Yes. The Red Cross is working with all entities involved in this response, both national and international actors. These include security forces, government agencies, UN agencies and other international organisations. The security forces in Nepal play a role in the government’s disaster response framework and have helped to transport some life-saving materials such as hospital equipment by helicopter into areas that are inaccessible by road.
Q. There are reports locally that members of the Red Cross have been selling tarpaulins in Kathmandu. Are these true?
Any such reportsare taken very seriously. The Nepal Red Cross Society has investigated these allegations and found them to be false. The people in question had no affiliation with the Red Cross.
Q. I have collected lots of donations for the earthquake affected in Nepal – how can I get it to you?
The Red Cross receives numerous offers of such support from well-wishers around the world, including donations of food items and second-hand clothes. Unfortunately, in international disasters we cannot accept these offers because the logistics systems required to collect and transport unsolicited goods are simply too costly and cumbersome. Most importantly, much of what is provided isn't in line with our needs on the ground.
The relief items that we distribute in disasters are very specific and conform to recognized humanitarian standards. We source them in bulk to keep costs low -- tarpaulins and tools like shovels and hammers used for rebuilding are sourced from China, for example, while pots and pans for kitchen sets come from India, plastic water containers from Germany, mosquito nets from Vietnam and tents and blankets come from Pakistan. So while we are grateful for the kindness and generosity of the pubic we ask that you please make a financial donation to the IFRC appeal instead. You can donate here:
Q. What role is the Red Cross playing in the management of dead bodies?
The correct and dignified management of the dead forms a fundamental component of disaster response. The right of deceased persons to have their dignity safeguarded and their names returned to them whenever possible should be respected. The Red Cross is working to ensure that the dead are properly managed for the sake of the deceased, their families and their communities. This includes providing support as needed to local expert structures. The Red Cross is helping communities in Nepal to understand that unidentified bodies should not be cremated or moved to areas of water but instead preserved so that they may be returned to their families who may carry out their own funerary rites. The ICRC is also going to be providing training on the correct body identification procedures to staff at the central morgue in Kathmandu. The Red Cross is also helping to quell myths about the dead, explaining why dead bodies do not cause epidemics (
Q. How can the Red Cross help people who may have missing relatives or want to let family members know that they are safe?
Family members searching for their relatives can contact the nearest office of the Red Cross/Red Crescent in order to open a tracing request. In Nepal, there is one team in each district. Nepal Red Cross Society (NRCS) will handle cases with the support of the ICRC.
For families living outside Nepal, please refer to select the country in which you are living. This will provide you with address, emails and phone numbers of the National Society you should contact. The tracing department will help you to collect all relevant information and will then transmit it to NRCS.
The ICRC in Nepal will continue to provide full support to the Nepal Red Cross Society and the IFRC in responding to the needs of the people affected by the earthquake, particularly in the area of Restoring Family Links and the management of dead bodies. As part of the needs assessment organized by the IFRC, the ICRC has deployed a forensic expert as well as a Restoring Family Links expert. The platform is now closed for registration but new tracing enquiries can be submitted to NRCS through the national society in the country of origin.
So far more than 2,300 cases have been logged, nearly 2,100 have managed to restore contact with their loved ones or collected information about the fate of their relative. The Red Cross is continuing to support families in their search for missing loved ones.
GOVERNMENT/POLICY
Q. The Government of Nepal is urging donors to reduce costs and deliver more focused aid. How will the Red Cross respond to this?
The Red Cross has a commitment to meet the most urgent needs of the affected population and this requires a multi-sector approach. We are an independent and impartial organisation and the decisions on where and what kind of assistance to provide is made on the basis of the assessmentswe carry out. Our focus is on providing food and non-food relief, cash, emergency shelter, health and support for rebuilding homes in addition to medical care, safe water and sanitation solutions and support for the restoration of people’s livelihoods.
We do our best to keep our operations as efficient and cost effective as possible; this includes the procurement of relief items that meet humanitarian specifications and buying them in bulk to keep costs low.
Q. There are reports that that the Government of Nepal has requested that donations for the earthquake response be channelled through the Prime Minister’s “relief fund”. Does this apply to the Red Cross?
No. Our funding does not go through the Government. Funds raised by Red Cross and Red Crescent partners are managed by the Red Cross. They are channeled directly into programmes implemented by Movement partners. More information on our funding and operations is available in the operational updates made available on the IFRC’s public website.
Q. How is the Red Cross working with the Government of Nepal? Is the IFRC able to work independently?
As an auxiliary to the Government, the Nepal Red Cross is a key partner of the Government and has clearly designated roles within national and district level disaster preparedness and response plans.
The NRCS works closely with local authorities but remains independent. NRCS district chapters are part of the District Disaster Relief Committees and in most affected districts; the NRCS has been assigned specific coordination roles within the locally established ‘clusters’ which cover specific sectors such as health, non-food relief and shelter.