United States military helicopters began flying to remote areas of NepalMonday to look at damage from the recent earthquake.
U.S. military aircraft, heavy equipment and air traffic controllers arrived in thecapital, Kathmandu, on Sunday. They will be used to help transport aid toearthquake victims. They are working to reach the areas that have receivedlittle help since the 7.8-magnitude quake struck on April 25th.
The U.S. job will include helping to supervise all the relief supplies that arecoming into Nepal’s only international airport in Kathmandu. The country has had trouble getting food and other supplies to the people who need it.
The U.S. Ambassador to Nepal, Peter Bodde, told the French news agencyAFP that the U.S. forces will have “multiple aims.” In his words, they will be delivering “relief supplies, they might do some rescues, and they will do assessments.”
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US soldiers unload Huey helicopters from a US Air Force Boeing C-17 Globemaster III after the same landed in Kathmandu, Nepal, Sunday, May 3, 2015. |
The U.S. forces will “make an immediate difference,” added U.S. BrigadierGeneral Paul Kennedy. The U.S. military is bringing supplies, especiallyshelter, which the general called “the most pressing need.” He said bringingthose things to people affected by the earthquake is “going to make animmediate impact on their lives.”
The United Nations also said it is looking for more ways to get supplies topeople in the remote areas. A spokeswoman for the UN’s Office for theCoordination of Humanitarian Affairs, Orla Fagan, said aid workers “are stillhaving problems getting things to people.”
Critics of the Nepalese government say it continues to suffer from a brokenpolitical system after a long civil war. Kunda Dixit is the editor and publisher of the “Nepali Times” newspaper.
“Extortion, blockages of roads and corruption, was the order of the day for the last, at least, eight years after the conflict and during the conflict.”
The United Nations said more than eight million people have been affected by the earthquake. It also said at least two million have been displaced. Theinternational community has said it will give more than $60 million. But the U.N. said an additional $350 million is needed because several million peopleare in need of emergency food aid. Some estimates say a total of $5 billion isneeded to rebuild Nepal.
Newspaper publisher Kunda Dixit says there will be corruption.
“There’s going to be graft. This is an extremely corrupt country. Thecorruption was really becoming an epidemic here, even before this crisis.”
More than 7,200 people are known to have died in the devastatingearthquake. On Sunday, four more people were rescued from the rubble.Police reported that a 101-year-old man was found about 80 kilometersnorthwest of the capital. Earlier reports said three other people were pulled outalive from debris northwest of the city.
I’m Anne Ball.
Anne Ball wrote this story with material from VOA’s Steve Herman, Reuters and AFP. George Grow was the editor.
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Words in This Story
remote – adj. distant or far away from other people or cities
magnitude – n. a number that shows the power of an earthquake
rubble - n. wreckage
devastating - adj. causing great damage
debris - n. pieces left after something is destroyed
corruption - n. dishonest or illegal behavior
extortion – n. using force or threats to get money from someone
