How the UK was able to quickly mobilize aid to Nepal quake victims

The United Kingdom was able to send humanitarian and medical teams, search and rescue responders, and various other forms of emergency support within days after a powerful earthquake struck Nepal. We spoke with disaster response officials in the U.K. to get the inside track.

By // 05 May 2015

Ten days have passed since Nepal was struck by a magnitude-7.8 earthquake, killing more than 7,600 people and affecting upward of 8 million — more than a quarter of the country’s population.

The U.K. Department for International Development deployed a team of humanitarian experts within hours of the April 25 temblor. A week later it confirmed a 22.8 million pound ($34.5 million) package of emergency aid, including more than 60 search and rescue responders, a 30-strong medical team, three Royal Air Force aircraft and 2.5 million pounds in funding for additional U.N. helicopters, and a 5.3 million pound aid support package for the United Nations following its flash appeal.

It also pledged to match the first 5 million pounds of public donations made to a Disasters Emergency Committee appeal, provide 2 million pounds to the British Red Cross and release 3 million pounds under its Rapid Response Facility, which provides bilateral funding to nongovernmental organizations for humanitarian emergency responses.

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About the author

  • Gabriella Jóźwiak

    Gabriella Jóźwiak

    Gabriella Jóźwiak is an award-winning journalist based in London. Her work on issues and policies affecting children and young people in developing countries and the U.K. has been published in national newspapers and magazines. Having worked in-house for domestic and international development charities, Jóźwiak has a keen interest in organizational development, and has worked as a journalist in several countries across West Africa and South America.

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