Nepal turns down foreign rescue teams, citing 2015 lessons, but accepts international aid as floods leave thousands missing
The US, UK and World Bank have also announced financial support, while the Asian Development Bank has offered longer-term assistance aimed at improving Nepal’s disaster preparedness, early-warning systems and infrastructure resilience.
It said that its own security agencies are capable of handling the operation. Nepal has declined offers from several countries, including India and China, to send specialised search-and-rescue teams, as it battles one of its worst flood disasters in years.
This time, the Balen Shah-government has therefore opted for a more centralised approach.
Nepal’s government remembered the coordination and management problems that emerged when large numbers of foreign search-and-rescue teams arrived after the earthquake, according to a senior foreign ministry official. The foreign ministry official summed up the decision: “We received similar requests from China and other countries too, but we had to turn down the request,” the Kathmandu Post quoting foreign ministry official saying. An emergency response team (ERT) has been set up which would “serve as the central coordinating body within the ministry to facilitate search, rescue, information verification, and consular assistance in respect of foreign nationals affected by, missing in, or otherwise connected to the flood incident,” a foreign ministry statement said according to The Post. US secretary of state Marco Rubio said Washington was ready to provide humanitarian assistance, while British foreign secretary Ed Miliband expressed support and sought updates on rescue efforts involving missing British nationals.
The presence of multiple teams, along with competition among countries, created difficulties in managing the response. The decision was reportedly taken on the recommendation of the Nepali Army and police, which believe Nepal’s own security agencies can manage the search-and-rescue operation. Instead, Kathmandu has asked foreign governments to channel financial contributions through a one-door mechanism, the Prime Minister’s Relief Fund. Officials have indicated that additional financial aid and other support will be sought during the reconstruction phase.