Just as people are beginning to recover and think about rebuilding after the devastating 7.8-magnitude earthquake in Nepal, a second quake has struck the same region.

On Tuesday 12 May, a 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck, followed by two large aftershocks measuring 5.6 and 6.3. At least 65 people are believed to have died in the latest earthquake.

In the aftermath of the first earthquake on 25 April, Samaritan’s Purse sent a team of 37 Disaster Relief specialists to the country to provide shelter, food, water, sanitation, hygiene and kitchen kits and medical relief. The quake in April left over 8,000 people dead and 17,000 injured. 2.8 million people were displaced from their homes, 4.2 million people were in need of Water and Sanitation Hygiene services, while 3.5 million required food assistance.

The first Samaritan’s Purse disaster response team member arrived in Kathmandu, Nepal, in the early hours of Sunday morning and witnessed destruction, death, and need. Buildings had collapsed, debris clogged the streets, and the death toll was rising daily. Patrick Seger, the team leader for our response, reported, “There’s a lot of hurting people here.”

People have been sleeping out in the streets, fearful of aftershocks and not wanting to sleep indoors, or without shelter because their homes have been destroyed.

The Samaritan’s Purse team has distributed 56 tons of food to about 11,000 beneficiaries so far, including 18 tons of food to 2,800 people in the village of Lele, where almost every house was levelled in the earthquake. We have also distributed blankets and kitchen kits to approximately 10,000 survivors. On Friday 1 May, an airlift of 42 metric tons of emergency relief supplies (tents, kitchen kits, and blankets) arrived in Kathmandu to help victims; further supplies have been arriving daily by air and road.

The medical team set up an emergency clinic in the rural area of Gorkha, near the epicentre of the earthquake and other medical staff and supplies have been supporting mission hospitals that are already Samaritan’s Purse partners.

First quake – April

The quake struck an area between the capital, Kathmandu, and the city of Pokhara, the US Geological Survey said. The earthquake collapsed houses, levelled centuries-old temples and triggered avalanches in the Himalayas. Tremors were felt across the region, with further loss of life in India, Bangladesh and on Mount Everest. It was the worst quake to hit the poor South Asian nation in over 80 years.

The quake struck before noon local time and was most severely felt in the capital as well as the densely populated Kathmandu Valley. A magnitude-6.6 aftershock hit about an hour later, and some 60 smaller aftershocks continued to ripple through the region.

The strength of this earthquake is eight times more powerful that the one that struck Haiti in 2010.

“God is our refuge and strength, a helper who is always found in times of trouble. Therefore we will not be afraid, though the earth trembles and the mountains topple into the depths of the seas, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with its turmoil.” (Psalm 46)

PRAY:

For those who mourn. Pray that those who are desperately searching for friends and family following the second earthquake will be reunited with their loved ones.
That relief supplies and medical help will continue to reach those most in need.
For good working relationships between international agencies, and wisdom as they consider how best to respond.
That our God will use Samaritan’s Purse to convey the love of Christ.

GIVE:

Samaritan’s Purse partners are already on the ground providing emergency shelter, food, water, hygiene kits and medical care.