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Nepal Flash Floods: Five Days After the Floods, Secondary Health Risks Rise
Beyond emergency care, health needs around clean water and sanitation, primary care needs, and maternal health are top concerns for health providers in northern Nepal. Direct Relief is preparing a 21-ton shipment to support patient care.
People search near home along the Bhotekoshi River in Nuwakot, Nepal, on August 28, 2026. Health concerns are expected to rise as many areas remain cut off from access. (Photo by Ambir Tolang / NurPhoto via AFP)
Five days have passed since flash floods and debris flows swept through the border region of northern Nepal, and emergency responders are continuing search and rescue efforts, including for several hundred workers believed to be trapped in underground tunnels near hydropower projects in the area.
The death toll rose to 950 people on Monday, with more than 4,400 people missing. Access remains extremely limited, with 32 bridges destroyed and 25 miles of road destroyed. Many places are only reachable by helicopter, and monsoonal rains are threatening to cause further flooding. Roughly 10,000 households need immediate relief, according to Nepal’s National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority.
Direct Relief-supported organizations have deployed to the disaster zone with equipment and medications pre-positioned before the floods began.
With support from Direct Relief, Dhulikhel Hospital has deployed medical teams to provide care in communities affected by recent floods and debris flows in northern Nepal. (Photos courtesy of Dhulikhel Hospital)
Direct Relief partner Dhulikhel Hospital has emergency medical staff on the ground, with a medical team based out of Dhunche, about 12 miles southwest down valley from the main border-crossing impact zone.
The group reported that they have deployed doctors and surgeons via Nepal Army helicopters to bolster the capacity of hospitals in the impacted areas, including Rasuwa Hospital. In addition, Dhulikhel Hospital doctors have flown into Syabrubesi to support internally displaced people, and to Galgung to provide care to hydropower tunnel survivors.
The Transition to Secondary Health Emergency Risks
While search and rescue operations are still underway, the immediate life-saving work is giving way to restoring basic health services for thousands of displaced people, including primary care, medication for diabetes and high blood pressure, care for pregnant women and new mothers, and clean water and hygiene, said Gordon Willcock, Direct Relief’s Asia Pacific Regional Director.
“The concern our partners raise most urgently is disease,” he said. “When people are displaced into crowded conditions without safe water or sanitation, in an environment where human and animal remains have not been recovered, outbreaks become the second emergency. That is why the requests we are receiving are for IV fluids, antibiotics, protective equipment, rapid diagnostic tests, and water treatment supplies.”
On-the-Ground Healthcare Deployment
Medical staff from Dhulikhel Hospital distribute medications and provide health services during outreach this week. (Courtesy photo)
To support these needs, Direct Relief is preparing a 21-ton shipment of medical aid and medications to multiple organizations in Nepal, including Dhulikhel Hospital and Mountain Heart Nepal, which also deployed to impacted areas to provide care with Direct Relief-donated medical supplies.
Items included in the shipment:
Diabetes management medications and supplies
Respiratory health medicines
Essential medications
Trauma and wound care supplies
Solar chargers and lights
Emergency health kits, filled with medicines and supplies commonly requested after emergencies
Field medic packs, designed for first responders providing care in disaster settings
Hygiene products, including soap, shampoo, and dental care items for displaced people
Direct Relief has shared its available medical inventory with Nepal’s Ministry of Health and other in-country partners, and is working through formal request lists as they come in — currently weighted toward IV fluids, antibiotics, protective equipment, rapid diagnostic tests, and water treatment supplies.
Direct Relief is also providing financial support to the Shanti Foundation for emergency flood response efforts to impacted women and children. The foundation, led by Shanti Tamang, a long-time partner of Direct Relief, will be providing hygiene supplies, child-friendly spaces in displacement centers and temporary settlements, and psychosocial support.
Long-Term Commitment to Nepal’s Health Infrastructure
Direct Relief’s engagement in Nepal dates to 1985 and has provided more than $119 million in medical aid across 48 partner organizations, 206 shipments, 638,000 lbs. of aid, and 34.9 million defined daily doses of medicine — including a $287,000 shipment of diabetes and cancer medications delivered this month, before the flood.
Nepal-Tibet Flash Flood 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What happened in the Nepal-Tibet flash flood?
A catastrophic flash flood swept through border areas of Nepal and the Chinese territory of Tibet, likely triggered by an ice avalanche from a breaking glacier. Infrastructure in and around the Bhatekoshi River, including bridges and buildings, was swept away. Rescue operations are ongoing, and figures on those killed and missing are still being confirmed by authorities.
What caused the flood?
The flooding may have been triggered by an ice avalanche from a breaking glacier above the Bhatekoshi River, sending a surge of water, mud and debris downstream into populated areas.
What medical needs are expected after the flood?
Health needs are expected to rise as rescues continue. Providers will likely need to administer trauma and wound care, surgery, blood products and antibiotics, along with resources for emergency medical teams and first responders working in the affected region.
What is Direct Relief doing in response?
Direct Relief is mobilizing support around potential medical needs and communicating with partner organizations in the region. It has shared a list of available medical inventory with Nepal’s Ministry of Health and with nonprofit organizations in the country, including Mountain Heart Nepal, which connects medical care and outreach to Nepal’s hard-to-access areas.
What is Direct Relief’s history of support in Nepal?
Direct Relief has supported health needs in Nepal since 2009, providing more than $119 million in medical aid to the country. This includes support during Nepal’s devastating 2015 earthquake, which killed 9,000 people and caused massive damage to infrastructure, including health services.
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