Flash Floods Devastate Nepal: How to Help
Project HOPE’s Emergency Response Team is in Nepal, mobilizing a response to devastating flash floods and landslides caused by a massive glacier avalanche.
On the morning of August 26, 2026, a massive glacier avalanche near the border between Nepal and China sent tons of rock, mud, and ice into nearby rivers, triggering devastating flash floods and powerful landslides. Entire villages have been wiped out, with major roads, bridges, electricity systems, and other critical infrastructure severely damaged.
More than 360 people have been killed and at least 1,400 are still missing, and the death toll is expected to rise in the coming days and weeks as search-and-rescue efforts continue. The disaster has also created new lakes and disrupted rivers, increasing the risk of further flooding and landslides as heavy rain threatens communities during monsoon season.
Project HOPE is on the ground in Nepal, assessing health and humanitarian conditions and mobilizing a response.
- How Project HOPE is responding
- Read our latest Situation Report
- How you can help
- What are the greatest needs?
- Our history in Nepal
What you need to know in Nepal
A fast-moving wall of rock, mud, and ice tore through communities in Nepal on August 26, after a massive glacier avalanche sent debris into nearby rivers and triggered powerful flash floods and landslides. The avalanche registered a force equal to a 5.2-magnitude earthquake, wiping out entire villages and causing significant damage to critical infrastructure.
More than 360 people have been killed, at least 1,400 are missing, and an estimated 17,000 children have been impacted by this disaster already. Casualty figures are expected to rise as search-and-rescue efforts continue. Those missing include tourists from as many as 27 countries, including the United States. Many visitors were in the affected area for the Nepali festival of Janai Purnima or on pilgrimage to Tibet’s Mount Kailash, a sacred site for Hindus, Buddhists, Jains, and other religious groups.
The destruction has been catastrophic, with major roads, bridges, electricity systems, and other critical infrastructure severely damaged. And the danger is not over. Nepal is in the middle of monsoon season, and the disaster has created new lakes and disrupted the flow of rivers, increasing the risk of additional landslides, mudslides, and flash floods. Heavy rain could further threaten communities already reeling from the disaster.
How is Project HOPE responding to the flash floods and landslides in Nepal?
Project HOPE is on the ground in Nepal, assessing health and humanitarian conditions and mobilizing a response to the deadly landslides and flash floods. We will coordinate response efforts with local, national, and international partners, focusing on keeping Nepal’s health system functional and supporting recovering families.
“The situation is still developing. Behind every number is a family and a community affected by this disaster. Right now, the priority is reaching those communities, understanding what they need and making sure assistance gets to the people who need it most.”
– Emad Al Shammari, Project HOPE Senior Director, Global Supply Chain & Security
Project HOPE has responded to multiple earthquakes and similar rapid-onset disasters in recent years, including major floods or landslides across five continents. In the past year alone, our teams have supported communities devastated by landslides and flash floods after Hurricane Melissa in Jamaica; provided critical support in Malawi and Mozambique, where cholera spread rapidly after massive flooding; and responded to earthquakes in Colombia and Venezuela.
What are the greatest needs following the flash floods in Nepal?
In the immediate aftermath, needs are likely to span in multiple directions. Families may face urgent needs for healthcare, clean water, sanitation and hygiene, and mental health support. Damage to roads, bridges, electricity systems, and other critical infrastructure can make it even more difficult for communities to access these essential services. Disruptions to water and sanitation systems can also increase the risk of cholera and other diarrheal diseases.
In the coming days and weeks, the mental health and psychosocial toll of the crisis will become more apparent. Emergencies such as these can strike rapidly and with little to no warning, causing intense stress and fear among survivors. Families may be coping with the loss of loved ones, homes, livelihoods, and access to basic necessities, while health workers and first responders face the strain of caring for their communities amid the devastation.
With Nepal in the middle of monsoon season, the threat of additional landslides, mudslides, and flash floods could further compound these needs. Continued rainfall and newly formed bodies of water may put already affected communities at greater risk and create additional challenges for recovery.
What is Project HOPE’s history in Nepal?
Project HOPE has extensive experience in Nepal, spanning emergency response and longer-term health programming. In 2015, Project HOPE was one of the first organizations to coordinate relief efforts following the devastating 7.8-magnitude earthquake. During that response, Project HOPE deployed medical volunteers who cared for 1,522 patients and delivered more than $15.8 million in urgently needed medicines and supplies, ultimately benefiting an estimated 230,000+ patients.
Then, in 2016 and 2017, Project HOPE remained in Nepal, working with midwives and local communities to improve maternal and child health outcomes for more than 5,000 women and children through door-to-door health visits, nutrition programs, and other services.
In 2021, as the COVID-19 pandemic brought deadly waves of the Delta variant, shortages of medicines, beds, ventilators, oxygen, personal protective equipment, and other critical supplies left health workers in Nepal underequipped to combat the virus. In response, Project HOPE trained more than 4,500 health workers and distributed more than 1.7 million pieces of PPE and medical equipment to 13 hospitals and six health centers, focusing on hard-hit Lumbini Province.
How you can help Nepal
The flash floods and landslides in Nepal have wiped out villages and impacted critical infrastructure. Entire communities have been made vulnerable by this crisis. If you want to help, here’s how you can get involved:
1. Make a lifesaving gift to support our work now and for the future.
2. Interested in an employee giving campaign for Nepal? Please contact us — we are happy to help.
3. Stay up-to-date on this story and our lifesaving work around the world by following us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and X/Twitter, and help spread the word about our response.
Volunteering: At this time, we are not seeking volunteers to deploy to our response in Nepal. This is an ongoing response and needs may change. We encourage interested parties to submit an application with our volunteer emergency response database and we will reach out if your specialty is requested.
