Nepal Earthquake Update – Airlift, Work Crews & a Truck

Click here to donate.

Helicopter

The service of a private helicopter was secured today. Tomorrow, Noel, Raju, a Doctor friend from Hawaii and a few others will be flying into Gadlang to assess damage, bring rice, and provide first aid. This is a huge answer to prayer!

Rice will be purchased in the nearest larger town and will be delivered to Gadlang and the surrounding villages. The team from Gadlang was active in Chhampi and Kothgaon for the first week after the quake before they were able to make it home. They have gone back to the mountain villages with both knowledge and the emergency shelter prototype that was developed in Chhampi and Kothgaon. This strategy will supplement already existing local efforts.

Work Crews

The churches in Chhampi, Kothgaon and Gorkha had community meetings yesterday and have organized their own management teams. These on-the-ground, local teams will assess need and manage the work being done in each village. The HRV Earthquake Management team will continue to provide overall coordination. Now that work crews have been hired and prototypes of shelters have been developed, demolition and temporary shelter construction will shift into full gear.

Truck

Speaking of shifting gears, we just purchased a truck to help in the transportation efforts! Until now, we’ve been using hired drivers and jeeps. Since we anticipate the demolition and rebuilding phases to last well over one year, owning our own truck will help with availability and long-term cost effectiveness.

Noel indicated that the purchase was a bit of a God story. When he initially called to inquire about the truck, he accidentally mentioned that he was from a church. Usually a higher price would follow this admission. Instead, the man on the other end of the line immediately replied, “Jaimasi!” (a greeting only Christians use). It turns out he was another pastor who ended up giving us a great deal on the truck. Thanks brother! And thanks, God!

By the Numbers:

Currently there are 8 work crews of 4 – 5 local people per crew.
$150 USD per temporary shelter (includes additional materials and work crew labour costs)
Kothgaon has 2 work crews
Gadlang has 4 work crews
Nessing has 2 work crews
Chhampi and Gorkha are organizing crews.
4 houses in Gadlang were cleaned today.
100 bags of rice will be bought in town and delivered to villages.

Click on the images to enlarge.