Nepal mapA 7.8-magnitude earthquake rocked the south-central Asian country of Nepal on Saturday, causing more than 3,700 4,000 4,200 deaths and widespread devastation. It is the worst earthquake the country has seen in 80 years, devastating the capital of Kathmandu along with surrounding areas including the ancient city of Bhaktapur.

A Global Response

There are a number of ways we can respond and support the relief effort. Our global partner World Vision already has a presence in Nepal (73 projects with 205 staff there) and is coordinating strategic and significant relief efforts with many other national and global organizations.

People walk through a devastated cityscape in Kathmandu, Nepal. World Vision staff report frequent aftershocks increasing the risk of further building collapses. (©2015 Liz Satow/World Vision)

An update from World Vision:

A 7.8-magnitude earthquake struck Nepal on Saturday, toppling buildings and triggering avalanches in the Himalayas.

News outlets report that more than 3,700 people have died and more than 6,500 people have been injured. These numbers are expected to rise as more remote areas are accessed.

Information remains difficult to obtain, especially from the northern Nepalese villages of Semjong and Barpak, which is the epicenter. Thus far, no information about how many people are lost, missing, or injured in that region has been received.

As buildings collapsed around them, people gathered for safety in open squares when a magnitude 7.8 earthquake hit Nepal on Saturday.

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 roads and 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, 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 that children have a safe space to play following the trauma of the quake.

  • Donate to support World Vision’s relief efforts in Nepal here.

Pray for Nepal

Pray

As Scripture instructs us to share in the joys and sorrows of others, today, we lift up the people of Nepal who have suffered great losses as a result of the earthquake.

Suggested prayer points:

  • Pray for families who are grieving and have lost loved ones
  • Pray for children and families facing difficult conditions
  • Pray for humanitarian workers

Lord, even as emergency personnel and search and rescue teams are on the way, we ask Your help in reaching those who are in desperate need of aid. Restore communication to far flung places. Guide humanitarian workers to communities and families that were hardest hit so they are provided shelter and warmth. May supplies available be more than enough to restore the basics of food, clean water, shelter, and household items for families in need.

Lord, hear our prayer.

(click link for expanded commentary and prayer direction)

Volunteers carry the body of a victim on a stretcher, recovered from the debris of a building that collapsed after an earthquake near Kathmandu, Nepal, on April 25. (Image: Niranjan Shrestha/Associated Press)

Arial footage provided by Mashable shows the impact across the region:

The church has mobilized in significant ways with a Gospel presence in Nepal in recent years, with intentional efforts to combat a “theological famine” in the land. Yet, no matter one’s convictions, there remains a significant task of partnering together with the people of Nepal to rescue physical life in the aftermath of this weekend’s destructive earthquake, and in the West we have the privilege and opportunity to pause, pray, give, and support this noble cause.

The World wants to help

Google has mapped the world’s initial response to the tragedy, showing people who have searched for “Nepal” and “help” in various languages over the past 48 hours (via Mashable).