By Sarah Gillam
This morning at 6.50 GMT, a second major earthquake registering 7.3 on the Richter scale struck eastern Nepal, with the epicentre midway between Kathmandu and the Everest area.
More than 65 people are reported killed and more than 1,000 injured. This comes only two weeks after the quake that is now known to have killed more than 8,000 people.
“We have not yet reached the districts where this second earthquake was centred. Having established that all our staff are safe, we are assessing the situation and adjusting our plans.
“We aim to provide cash assistance to support older people and their families in affected areas as soon as we can,” said Peter McGeachie, Regional Director for HelpAge South Asia Regional Office.
Assisting older people affected
“Since the first earthquake hit on 25 April, in collaboration with the Nepal government we have been working with local partners to support older people affected by the disaster, distributing cash in Kathmandu and Bhaktapur reaching over 2,100 older people. We have also made the necessary arrangements to provide the same kind of assistance in the more remote districts that were affected.
“This will help older people and their families buy the items they need most, such as food, shelter materials or medicine. We expect to reach 10,000 older people over the coming weeks.
“We are full of praise for our local partners’ efforts and the courage, resilience and spirit of the Nepali people in these very challenging times,” he went on to say.
Physical and psychological impact
HelpAge is concerned about the physical and psychological impact this new earthquake will have on older people.
They are especially vulnerable because of their lack of mobility and frailty and the psychological trauma caused by the devastation.
It’s essential that emergency assistance reaches them swiftly to meet the basic need for shelter, food and water as well as older people’s more specific needs such as treatment for chronic diseases.
What you can do
To support older people affected by the Nepal earthquake: