SOUTH ASIA (BP) – Hundreds of people were killed and more than a thousand are missing after devastating mudslides swept through Nepal and Tibet Aug. 26. Send Relief is asking Southern Baptists to help as they coordinate relief efforts.
Flash floods ripped through towns and villages, sweeping away homes, buildings and roads. Many villages are only accessible by air because of the flooding, according to Send Relief.
The U.S. Embassy in Nepal said at least six districts in the country have been affected by the disaster.
Scientists say a glacier collapsed near the Rasuwa district causing portions of mountain rock to rush into nearby rivers, according to the Malaysian news site The Star Online. Water displacement resulted in flash floods and massive mudslides across the region.
Send Relief, the compassion ministry of the North American Mission Board and International Mission Board, has opened a portal for donations to help provide basic supplies.
“Our partners had trucks loaded and moving within a day, headed as far up the valleys as the roads still allow. That speed comes from the fact that we weren’t starting from scratch — these are churches that were already serving their communities,” Jason Cox, Send Relief’s vice president of international ministry, told Baptist Press.
The organization says it will soon respond with food bags, first aid bags and tents for those affected by the disaster.
Send Relief asks people to join in prayer:
- For families grieving the loss of loved ones
- For those still searching and waiting for word
- For rescue workers moving through dangerous conditions
- For families who have lost homes, livelihoods and everything they own
- For churches and believers in Nepal serving their neighbors — that they would bring real comfort and share the hope of Jesus
Cox said, “Immediate relief is the first step. Helping these families rebuild will take much longer, and the local church is what makes staying possible.”
Learn more about relief efforts here.
