UN agencies and humanitarian partners are already providing support to local authorities, said UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric.

“The Secretary-General is saddened by the severe flooding that we have saw earlier today in Nepal and in China, which has claimed many lives, left people missing and caused widespread destruction,” Mr. Dujarric said.

UN Resident Coordinator in Nepal Lila Pieters Yahia is coordinating relief efforts with partners in support of the government-led response “in an effort to meet what will clearly be massive humanitarian need”, the UN Spokesperson added.

Rapid response on the ground

According to the authorities in Nepal, some 10,000 households are in need of immediate relief.

Settlements, markets, roads, bridges and hydropower infrastructure were swept away or damaged, with roads cut off and electricity disrupted, the UN humanitarian agency, OCHA, reported.

The humanitarian community is already providing emergency assistance and remains on standby to provide additional support as the needs become clearer.

“We are also supporting efforts to rapidly assess the scale of the disaster,” Mr. Dujarric said, noting ongoing assessment efforts.

“Our UN office in China is also reporting damage and significant numbers of casualties and destruction in the Tibet autonomous region of China. We, of course, stand ready to assist the Government-led efforts in China.”

What is the UN doing?

Unrolling a swift response in the face of emergencies is among the UN’s top priorities, including providing rapid support for the severe flooding in Nepal.

The UN’s humanitarian partners are also mobilising in Nepal as Save the Children has started deploying staff to the flood-hit Nuwakot district and the Nepalese Red Cross has dispatched 200 emergency shelter packages.

Here’s a snapshot of UN efforts already underway:

• The World Food Programme (WFP) is providing emergency rations to affected areas and logistics support to national authorities
• Two staff from the World Health Organization (WHO) are already on site with enough medical kits for about 10,000 people for three months, as well as tents and logistics support
• Starting Thursday, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) will be deploying staff and trucks carrying relief supplies
• The UN Development Programme (UNDP) are mobilising data-management support and dispatching UN Volunteers
• The UN Resident Coordinator’s office and OCHA are helping secure satellite imagery and analysis over the area impacted by these floods