Nepal flood response continues as medical aid shipments depart

Direct Relief has dispatched multiple shipments of medical aid to Nepal following last week’s devastating flash floods, which killed more than 1,200 people and displaced thousands from their homes, according to a press release by Direct Relief. The shipment, sent to local partner Mountain Heart Nepal, includes antibiotics, IV fluids, chronic disease medications, wound care supplies, and personal protective equipment to address urgent health needs in flood-affected areas. Another shipment departed Thursday, Sept. 3, for Dhulikhel Hospital, containing medical supplies, field medic packs for first responders, and hygiene items for displaced people. Approximately 21 tons of medical aid are en route or in process as part of ongoing emergency shipments to the country. The response combines medical supplies with emergency funding to bolster local partner capacity.

Over the past week, Direct Relief delivered 484 shipments of requested medical aid to 42 U.S. states and territories and 27 countries worldwide. The shipments contained 9.8 million defined daily doses of medication. Items dispatched this week included rare disease treatments, cancer therapies, fistula repair kits, cold-chain equipment, and emergency medical backpacks. Since January 1, 2026, Direct Relief has delivered 15.6K shipments to 2,442 partner organizations in 53 U.S. states and territories and 90 countries. Those shipments contained 271.8 million defined daily doses of medication valued at $1.2 billion (wholesale) and totaled 3.1 million pounds.

Gordon Willcock, Direct Relief’s Regional Director for Asia Pacific, is in Kathmandu working alongside local partner One Heart Worldwide to prepare packages of emergency supplies bound for Nuwakot. The materials include gloves, solvents, and other medical items intended to support hospitals and the broader response effort. Some supplies are being helicoptered into hard-to-reach provinces. Direct Relief has also committed $125,000 in emergency operating grants to three local partners. The grants support field-level response across multiple flood-affected districts.

Mountain Heart Nepal is using its funding to support mobile medical teams reaching areas cut off from care. Shanti Foundation is providing hygiene supplies, child-friendly spaces, and psychosocial support for women and children. One Heart Worldwide is working to maintain maternal and newborn health services in the hard-hit districts of Rasuwa, Nuwakot, and Dhading. Globally, Direct Relief shipped over 8.6 million defined daily doses of medication, totaling 106,931 pounds, to countries including Mexico, Venezuela, Liberia, Nepal, Egypt, Ukraine, Bangladesh, and Haiti. Domestic shipments included deliveries to clinics in Wisconsin, Texas, Florida, Ohio, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Nebraska.

The organization is also continuing its Venezuela earthquake response, with Chief Operating Officer Craig Redmond traveling to La Guaira this week to meet partners including Fundación Wayuu Taya, Acción Solidaria, GREMCA, the Venezuelan Red Cross, Caritas, and the Venezuela Nursing Federation. Since 7.2- and 7.5-magnitude earthquakes struck Venezuela on June 24, Direct Relief has shipped 24.4 tons of medical aid and provided $450,000 in cash grants to six organizations. In the United States, a $50,000 emergency operating grant has been directed to Washoe County Search and Rescue in response to the Hawk Fire. The Hawk Fire, which began Aug. 22 northwest of Reno, burned more than 15,000 acres and is currently 98 percent contained. Response operations remain active across affected regions in Nepal, Venezuela, and the United States.