Updated: August 28, 2026
Situation
On Wednesday, August 26, 2026, a catastrophic glacial collapse near the Nepal–Tibet border triggered one of the deadliest flash floods in the Himalayas in decades. The event created a force equivalent to a 5.2-magnitude earthquake, generating a wall of water, mud, ice, and debris that swept through communities in Nepal’s Rasuwa and Nuwakot districts and across the Chinese border into Tibet’s Gyirong County.
Impact
Hundreds of people have been confirmed dead and well over 1,000 remain missing. Officials expect casualty figures to rise as remote villages and border areas become accessible. The flood also caused severe infrastructure damage and significant impacts to the trade corridor. Search-and-rescue operations are underway, but blocked roads, damaged communications, high water, debris, and continued monsoon conditions are limiting access.
Actions
Here’s what we know so far:
- The response is being led by Nepalese authorities, with police, military, search-and-rescue, and emergency management resources deployed to affected districts.
- International support is mobilizing through the United Nations system, Red Cross network, humanitarian NGOs, and bilateral assistance from neighboring countries.
- U.S. government support is focused on travel guidance and coordination through the U.S. Embassy in Kathmandu to assist affected U.S. citizens and companies with personnel or partners in the region.
- Given access constraints and rapidly changing needs, cash contributions to vetted humanitarian organizations remain the most effective near-term form of private-sector support.
Below is the latest information on active NGOs, government resources, and ways the business community can help. This page will be updated as more information becomes available.
NGOs Assisting with Relief Efforts
The following organizations are confirmed active in the Nepal flood response. The Foundation encourages companies to direct financial contributions through established, vetted organizations. Cash donations are preferred over in-kind goods at this stage.
Community-Based Organizations
- Catholic Relief Services — Active in Nepal since 1999; mobilizing emergency food, shelter, and WASH support for displaced families.
- Nepal Red Cross Society — Lead national humanitarian organization coordinating SAR support, emergency shelter, and relief distribution across Rasuwa and Sindhupalchok districts.
- Save the Children — Deploying child protection teams and emergency learning spaces; prioritizing families displaced from Rasuwa.
- World Vision — Providing emergency food kits, hygiene supplies, and psychosocial support to affected communities.
Food and Shelter
- All Hands and Hearts — Mobilizing volunteer teams for debris removal and shelter repair; expected deployment within 72 hours.
- Convoy of Hope — Prepositioning emergency food and supply kits for distribution through local partner networks.
- World Central Kitchen — Activating kitchen operations in Kathmandu and forward staging areas to provide hot meals to displaced persons and relief workers.
Medical and Health
- Americares — Shipping emergency medical supplies and deploying health teams to support overwhelmed local clinics.
- Direct Relief — Providing medical aid packages and coordinating with local health facilities in Kathmandu and Rasuwa.
- International Medical Corps — Deploying emergency health teams; providing trauma care and mental health support to survivors.
- UNICEF — Deploying emergency health and nutrition supplies; coordinating WASH interventions for displaced children and families.
- World Health Organization (WHO) — Supporting Nepal's Ministry of Health with disease surveillance, trauma care coordination, and emergency medical supply logistics.
Logistics and Air Transport
- Airlink — Coordinating humanitarian air transport for NGO personnel and supplies into Kathmandu; assessing forward access to Rasuwa.
- World Food Programme (WFP) — Providing logistics cluster coordination and emergency food assistance; leveraging existing Nepal country presence.
Additional Helpful Resources
Financial Support Guidance
Cash donations are the most effective form of support at this stage. They allow vetted organizations to procure locally, reduce logistics burden, and respond to evolving needs. Companies and individuals are encouraged to:
- Direct contributions to established, vetted organizations listed above.
- Use Charity Navigator, BBB Wise Giving Alliance/Give.org, or Federal Trade Commission guidance to verify organizational credibility and avoid disaster-related scams before donating.
- Be alert to disaster-related scams and fraudulent solicitations — verify all donation requests before acting.
- Avoid unsolicited in-kind goods donations, which can overwhelm logistics systems in early-phase response.
For questions, please contact resilience@uschamber.com
