British Red Cross

The Strengthening Urban Resilience and Engagement ( SURE ) programme is a five-year DFID-funded multi-hazard urban risk reduction programme running from September 2016 until August 2021. Given emerging risks and hazard trends the programme continues engagement in the three districts of the Kathmandu valley and expanding further west into two additional districts. The programme aims to see increased action in target municipalities by citizens government and the Nepal Red Cross Society to reduce and respond to multi hazard risks increasing overall disaster resilience and enabling timely and effective response by the Nepal Red Cross Society. The targeted municipalities include six within the previously-engaged districts of the Kathmandu valley namely: Kathmandu sub-metropolitan city and Budhanilkantha municipality in Kathmandu district Bajrabarahi and Karyabinayak municipalities in Lalitpur district and Bhaktapur and Madhyapur Thimi municipalities in Bhaktapur district and two additional municipalities in the West and Far-West specifically Pokhara sub-metropolitan city and Dhangadhi sub-metropolitan city. Impact: Target municipalities have increased their disaster resilience and are supported by the Nepal Red Cross Society with timely and effective disaster response. Outcome: Targeted municipalities are increasingly taking action to reduce and respond to multi hazard risks through citizens government and the Nepal Red Cross Society. Output 1: Awareness and action in urban DRR for informed citizen voice and greater social accountability is increased enhancing DRR capacity in targeted municipalities. Output 2: DRR advocacy and support and strengthening of preparedness for response enhances the capacity of municipalities and is aligned to existing policies and structures. Output 3: NRCS is stronger and well organised in order to better respond to vulnerable communities and individuals. Output 4: NRCS and BRC actively learn with urban partners and external institutions to contribute to improved thematic and institutional knowledge and practice enabling efficient and effective programming with partners.

BRC s Nepal Earthquake recovery programme in partnership with the Nepal Red Cross Society will support 50 communities (reaching around 140 000 people) across the Kathmandu valley in the areas of shelter livelihoods community health and WASH over the next 2 years. It will include training of masons carpenters and home owners in safer building techniques and restoring water supplies; cash grants and skills training to increase the income of families affected by the earthquake and training in community health first aid and psycho-social support.

Two earthquakes in April and May caused massive damage in central Nepal killing 8 856 people destroying 543 000 homes and affecting 5.6 million people. The Nepal Red Cross Society (NRCS) launched an immediate relief effort with other 8 000 volunteers taking part. 29 Red Cross and Red Crescent directly supported the response as well as the IFRC and ICRC and in total the RCRC Movement has provided emergency shelter to over 500 000 people water and hygiene to over 500 000 and medical care to over 50 000. BRC launched an appeal for funds on the day of the earthquake and by 01/08/15 has raised 13.1million including a 4.1million from the DEC. Of this 5.9million has been committed to the emergency response efforts including: 1.4million of relief items sent from BRC stocks in Kuala Lumpur and Dubai including tarpaulins mosquito nets blankets and hygiene kits. 3.8million supporting IFRC emergency operations including shelter and cash distributions. Deployment of 11 delegates to be part of FACT the IFRC coordination unit overseeing the operation. Deployment of the Mass Sanitation Emergency Response Unit a four-person team that is providing safe drinking water clean toilets and hand washing facilities in Sindhupalchok the worst-affected district. As thousands struggle in the aftermath of this devastating earthquake we have launched the Nepal Earthquake Appeal.

Responding to the needs of Nepal as a multi-hazard prone country, where 90% of the population lives in high-risk areas exposed to two or more hazards, such as earthquakes, floods, landslides, snow avalanches, hailstorms, droughts and epidemics, requires a multi-sectoral approach. Disaster risk management (DRM) has a dynamic relationship with the environment – it receives various inputs, transforms these inputs in a certain way, and implements the learning from this process to save lives and improve livelihoods. Though disasters cannot be predicted, disaster preparedness, supported with adequate resources, is seen as the best disaster mitigation strategy. Further building resilience, as the key principle of urban development, rests in ushering a shift from relief to preparedness. The National Urban Development Strategy (NUDS), endorsed by the GoN in 2015, recognizes resilience as one of the five guiding principles for a balanced and prosperous urban future. The NUDS demands integrating resilience in the planning process when building resilient urban areas that are adaptive to current and future vulnerabilities. Implementation and the furthering of a resilience based urban development approach, however, is a shared responsibility of the government, communities, civil society, private sector and individuals. The Model Strategy for Resilient Local Communities, endorsed by MoFAGA in 2018, expects the rural and urban municipalities to develop their own strategy to guide the infrastructure and socio-economic development plans that follow a trajectory to a resilient future. Based on this, the response strategies and approaches proposed include:   a)    Evidence-based planning b)    Responsive disaster governance, integral to urban governance c)    Ecosystem fostering shared responsibility in urban DRR and response preparedness d)    Local leadership and participation in first phase response e)    Preparedness and response plan of urban services integral to urban disaster management planning f)      Last-mile connectivity, improving access to information on social safety nets, risk transfer mechanisms, protection and addressing social inequalities g)    Fostering evolution of community of practices h)    Readiness and coordination in response

SUDHAR project is building on EACH project. It is a collaborative programme with Swiss RC and British RC. Under SUDHAR we aim for the following outcomes: Outcome 01: Strengthened institutional capacity of NRCS and local government to enhance timely decision support systems for disaster and climate-resilient preparedness and response.  Outcome 02: Enhanced multi-hazard preparedness of the health and its critical support systems (WASH, DRR, and community networks) to ensure effective and uninterrupted service delivery in support of the local governments.  Outcome 03: Communities have adopted and practice inclusive health, disaster, and climate-responsive risk-reduction behaviours.

·       A major flash flood struck northern Nepal on 26 August 2026 following a sudden surge in the Bhotekoshi/Trishuli river system near the China-Nepal border. The districts of Rasuwa and Nuwakot experienced the most severe impacts, while downstream effects extended into Dhading, Chitwan, Gorkha and Tanahun districts. Government authorities have declared affected municipalities disaster crisis-affected areas for a three-month period. Access remains severely constrained due to extensive damage to roads, bridges, power infrastructure and telecommunications networks, with helicopters currently serving as the primary means of reaching isolated communities. Formal assessments remain ongoing and the full scale of the disaster is not yet known. The disaster has also disrupted the Nepal-China trade corridor, affecting customs facilities, markets, hydropower infrastructure and transport links. The Rasuwa border crossing remains closed. Impact and Humanitarian Concerns The humanitarian consequences are significant and continue to evolve as access improves. Preliminary satellite analysis suggests that more than 93,000 people (approximately 18,000 households) may have been affected, although this figure remains unconfirmed. Initial field estimates indicated approximately 10,000 directly affected people in the most severely impacted areas. Reports from partners and authorities indicate: Approximately 165-177 fatalities identified, with figures continuing to change as recovery efforts progress Between 73 and 130 injured people reported, including several patients receiving intensive care treatment in Kathmandu More than 800 people reported missing, unaccounted for, or unreachable Entire villages, market areas and businesses destroyed or severely damaged Houses swept away and families displaced to temporary gathering areas and camps Bodies recovered far downstream from the original impact zone Thousands of people seeking information regarding missing relatives and family members