Nepal Earthquake Leaves Massive Destruction
LWF emergency team fully operational for immediate response
(LWI) - Over 700 people are confirmed dead after a 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck Nepal on 25 April leaving massive destruction in its wake.
The Lutheran World Federation (LWF) has launched an immediate large-scale emergency response with its emergency team already in place in Kathmandu in the LWF offices, which have escaped the worst impact of the quake.
The LWF is currently working together with the Nepalese government, the UN system and church partners in the ACT alliance network to coordinate the response. Staff on the ground are preparing to distribute immediate life-saving supplies such as water, food, shelter and medication to those affected.
The epicenter of the earthquake was near the capital Kathmandu but many regions have been heavily affected, among them Bhaktapur, Lamjung and Pokhara in which the LWF has been operating for years. The LWF has staff on the ground and infrastructure in place in the affected areas to offer immediate response.
“We are deeply concerned at the scale of this disaster,” says LWF General Secretary Martin Junge. “We are grateful for the leadership of the LWF emergency team on the ground who are standing with people and communities affected and giving expression to the diaconal vocation of the LWF communion.”
The LWF has been operating in Nepal since 1984 on Disaster Risk Reduction and Emergency Preparedness and Response; Sustainable Livelihoods, and Community-led Actions for Governance and Justice. The LWF has a member church in Nepal - Nepal Evangelical Lutheran Church - situated in the far East of the country further away from the epicenter of the earthquake. The church reports that members are safe and have escaped the worst impact.
