Relief operation loaded with logistical problems
Two Canadian families anxiously await word from relatives travelling in the area
Providing relief for those affected by the earthquake in Nepal could be even more complicated and difficult than the humanitarian operation in Haiti, says a Canadian relief worker.
Alain Lapierre said the relief operation could be obstructed by rainy weather, aftershocks and damaged infrastructure, especially in regions outside of Kathmandu.
Afurther complication is the lack of information and communication from earthquake struck towns and villages closer to the epicentre.
Lapierre, an emergency team leader for CARE Canada, arrived in Nepal Sunday just in time to experience a 6.8 magnitude aftershock at the airport. The devastation, destruction and suffering he has seen so far is overwhelming, he said.
Thousands of residents in Kathmandu, whose homes have been destroyed, are sleeping outside without any shelter, blankets or food.
But Lapierre fears what is to be found outside the capital closer to the epicentre and throughout the Kathmandu Valley could be worse.
Getting to these other earthquake struck regions in Nepal may also prove difficult if roads and highways have been destroyed, making the relief operation even more challenging than in Haiti, said Lapierre.
In Haiti access to earthquakestruck regions was relatively easy, Lapierre said. Because Haiti was relatively small, getting aid to people there quickly was less complicated than it will be in Nepal, he added.
Ottawa has announced that it will be providing $5 million for humanitarian organizations to provide assistance to meet the needs of people afffected by the earthquake.
Ottawa is also sending a military disaster assessment team, part of the Disaster Assistance Response Team — designed to deploy on short notice to deal with natural disasters or humanitarian emergencies.
Other Canadian and international humanitarian relief organizations, including members of Canada’s Humanitarian Coalition, the Canadian Red Cross, GlobalMedic, ShelterBox Canada, World Vision and Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders, are on their way with aid.
“This is a very hard time for Nepal, for the people of Nepal,” said Santosh Sharma, an emergency response team member with CARE Nepal.
“Our government has requested aid from other governments to provide relief support,” he said. “So I’d like to request to people living in other parts of the world to extend their support to the people here in Nepal.”
Homes in Sharma’s neighbourhood were totally destroyed, many crumbling to the ground. Two of his neighbours were injured, he said.
“Their houses completely collapsed,” Sharma said. “They had bad wounds and were bleeding. We took them to the nearest health centre where they got first aid.”
People are “terrified,” he said. Many have slept outdoors fearful of after shocks. “They’ve spent the whole night under the sky in the open.”
And now conditions in Kathmandu are deteriorating because of heavy rains. The forecast for the next two days calls for even more rain, he said.
Canadian relief worker Reena Vohra has been in Kathmandu since the quake struck. “It’s been a rough day. As you know, we had another aftershock. My flight has been cancelled, and so I can’t get out and we don’t know when we’ll be able to leave. We camped overnight in our hotel lobby in case we have to run outside for the tremors and we will do the same tonight.”
About 462 Canadians are now registered with Ottawa as travelling in the region and the number could even be higher since registratrion is voluntary, Foreign Affairs said.
Faye Kennedy, a 32-year-old Ottawa civil servant and avid hiker, is one of those Canadians. Her family reports that they last heard from her a week ago Monday. She was to meet some hiking friends in the Langtang National Park, 65 kilometres north of Kathmandu. The road to the park is very treacherous, said Justin Piché, her brother-in-law.
“We’re worried that landslides or other damage has rendered access to that road impossible or very difficult,” he said.
Another Canadian believed to be missing in Nepal is 22 year-old Casey Blustein, sometimes known as Casey Ryan, according to parents Gary Blustein and Mindy Kadonoff. The worried parents have started a Facebook page dedicated to finding him. He had just graduated from Queen’s University and taken some time off to backpack. His father told the Star he last heard from his son just before the quake last Thursday. He thought his son was trekking in the Annapurna area.
But now the family is worried that he might have been trekking in a more dangerous area. “We’ve now found out he texted someone he actually started his journey in Besisahar. We heard it was more profoundly hit than where we thought he was.”