WFP continues to provide lifeline for thousands one month since the deadly Nepal floods

In the districts of Rasuwa, Nuwakot and Dhading, heavily impacted by the mudslide, WFP has been using trucks where roads are accessible and helicopters to reach communities completely cut off due to washed-away roads and bridges. 

And for the first time ever in a rapid-onset emergency response, WFP has deployed humanitarian cargo drones to airlift food and relief items to communities where even helicopters cannot land. This has reduced delivery time from days to mere minutes by air.

As part of these response efforts led by the Government of Nepal, WFP has now completed a first round of food assistance, providing more than 15,500 flood-affected people with 127MT of food.

Disasters such as this can further worsen nutrition by disrupting markets, destroying livelihoods, and reducing access to diverse and nutritious foods.

WFP has been carrying out assessments of food security in the affected areas.

The latest monitoring shows that 92 percent of households surveyed reported acceptable food consumption, but nearly all of them are relying on humanitarian assistance for their staple foods.

“While emergency food assistance has protected families from immediate hunger, many households remain highly vulnerable,” said WFP Nepal Representative and Country Director Riaz Lodhi. “WFP is committed to support communities as they transition from relief to recovery, restoring livelihoods and rebuilding communities.”

Besides delivering food assistance to the hardest-to-reach communities, WFP has also offered critical logistics support to the entire humanitarian community.

The WFP-led Logistics and Telecommunications Cluster in Nepal has served as the backbone of the wider response, offering coordination, handing and delivery for 70 partner organizations.

So far, WFP has moved more than 160 MT of relief items by road and air. These items include medical supplies, tents, solar lamps, blankets, woodstoves, and personal hygiene products.

Also, WFP continues to operate the Kathmandu Humanitarian Staging Area which receives, stores and dispatches all types of humanitarian assistance. It has also established a common humanitarian office and logistics hub in Bidur, Nuwakot. This has brought humanitarian actors closer to affected communities and facilitated the onward delivery of assistance for both immediate relief efforts and longer-term recovery and reconstruction.

The next round of WFP’s assistance in Nepal is being delivered in the form of cash, reaching approximately 38,000 people located in areas where markets are accessible. 

For communities which remain completely cut off from access, WFP will continue to provide food assistance for as long as necessary and until market access is re-established.

The international community – from donor countries to individual givers - has responded in a timely and generous manner, allowing WFP to reach people in need quickly and efficiently. 

“The response thus far demonstrates what is possible when governments, humanitarian organizations and other donors act together to assist those most in need,” added Lodhi.

WFP may need additional funds for the recovery phase, pending results of current assessments.

The United Nations World Food Programme is the world’s largest humanitarian organization saving lives in emergencies and using food assistance to build a pathway to peace, stability and prosperity for people recovering from conflict, disasters and the impact of weather extremes. 

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