Caritas Australia, the international aid and development agency of the Catholic Church, has this week confirmed it has three staff members who are working with the people of Nepal in the immediate aftermath of the earthquake.
A magnitude 7.9 earthquake paralysed Kathmandu and wreaked havoc on Pokhara and surrounding areas in Nepal and northern India on Saturday, 25 April.
There are reports of hundreds of casualties, with more than 1,000 dead. The structural damage to Kathmandu, which is still experiencing strong aftershocks and loss of power, is extensive.
Caritas Australia Program Coordinator, Nepal, Eleanor Trinchera, who is on the ground in Kathmandu, said she has never seen so much devastation.
“While the streets are rife with activity and chaos as people try to find loved ones and friends, the city is paralysed with destroyed buildings, blocked roads, intermittent power and rolling aftershocks,” Ms Trinchera said.
“We are working with our Caritas Nepal team to coordinate rescue efforts and our immediate emergency response,” she said.
Caritas Australia, part of the second largest humanitarian network in the world, has worked in Nepal for decades.
Caritas Nepal Director, Fr Pius Perumana SJ, who is currently in Kathmandu, reported that this was the worst earthquake he had ever experienced in his life.
“The aftershocks are still strong,” he said.
He said that there has been lots of physical damage; electricity has been down, making communications difficult, and roads are blocked.
“Lots of houses have fallen down and there are lots with cracks. Thank God it was during the day and on a holiday as many people were outside when the quake happened.”
Assessments are coming in and Caritas teams in the country are organising the response.
“Rescue is the still the main priority at the moment. Lots of people have lost their homes and are out on the street or in open spaces, so we will be looking to provide them with food and temporary shelter,” said Fr Pius.
At the time the earthquake struck, Ms Trinchera was an hour out of Kathmandu.
“We witnessed terrible scenes of destruction – hospitals were evacuated with patients being treated on the ground outside, homes and buildings demolished and some roads cracked wide open.”
The international Caritas network has begun procuring emergency relief materials such as tarpaulins/shelter kits and water, sanitation and hygiene materials.