7.9 Earthquake in Kathmandu

BTW, where the hell is the US?

. . . as always with sherpas joking and laughing a lot and also doing many prayers.

WASHINGTON — Apr 27, 2015, 12:02 PM ET
By The Associated Press
Associated Press
The Pentagon says two teams of U.S. Army Green Beret soldiers happened to be in Nepal when the deadly earthquake struck Saturday and are staying to help with search and relief efforts.

A Pentagon spokesman, Col. Steve Warren, says the 26 U.S. soldiers were in Nepal for high-altitude and other training with the Nepalese army. The 11-person crew of a C-130 cargo plane that brought them to Nepal also is remaining in case of a request to evacuate any American citizens in the affected area.

In addition, Warren says that a second U.S. Air Force C-17 cargo plane departed Monday from March Air Force Base in California to transport members of a Los Angeles urban search and rescue team to Nepal. It is due to arrive there Tuesday.

Secretary of State John Kerry is telling reporters in New York that the US aid to Nepal has grown from $1 million to $10 million.

On Sunday, an Air Force C-17 Globemaster took off from Dover Air Force Base, Delaware, with roughly 70 people, including a Disaster Assistance Response Team from the U.S. Agency for International Development and a rescue team from Fairfax County, Virginia, said Army Col. Steven Warren, a Defense Department spokesman. The flight is expected to arrive Monday at Tribhuvan International Airport, in the Kathmandu Valley.

"We are in the process of mobilizing resources and figuring out how to get them in," Jana Sweeny, a spokesperson for the American Red Cross, told The WorldPost.

Sweeny says the American Red Cross is working with the International Federation of the Red Cross and the Nepal Red Cross Society to determine what needs to be done and how they can best direct their efforts. "We are looking at what resources we can provide them in terms of specialists or supplies and financial support," she said.

Canada and the USA are both a disgrace to the 'civilized' world but especially the US with our military's ability to be anywhere on the planet within hours to kill somebody or save them.

"World Vision has sent a team to assess the damage in rural areas. In some of the remote areas staff heading out for assessments are finding both the road and the trails blocked by landslides, making access extremely difficult.

After search and rescue, World Vision disaster management staff say initial needs are potable water, food, household supplies, temporary shelter, and protection for children.

In the initial phase, our response will target 100,000 people in the worst-affected areas of Bhaktapur, Gorkha, Kathmandu, Lalitpur and Lamjung.

We will be working to meet immediate needs including providing first aid kits, sleeping mats, blankets and jerry cans; temporary shelter; and protection for children.

World Vision has begun to distribute 1,000 tarpaulins and 600 blankets in Bhaktapur, one of the worst hit areas.

We are also setting up six Child-Friendly Spaces so children have a safe space to play following the trauma of the quake.

Disaster management experts from World Vision’s operations around the region — including in neighboring India and Bangladesh — are on standby to provide relief assistance to the Nepal response. Some supplies were pre-positioned in Nepal, while others will be airlifted in from Dubai.

We're working with government and partners to assess the situation and respond to the need of children and their communities. World Vision works with 43 local NGO partners in its operating districts.

In Nepal, World Vision has 73 projects managed by 205 staff."