One month after catastrophic floods tore through Nepal, the humanitarian crisis continues to deepen exponentially, leaving countless survivors in urgent need of life-saving aid, according to international humanitarian agency Islamic Relief.
The disaster, which struck on August 26, saw rapid, walls of water sweep through towns and villages across the country. According to official assessments from the Nepalese government, the floods have triggered a staggering US$2.7 billion in infrastructural and economic damage, leaving more than 84,000 people in dire need of humanitarian assistance.
While weeks have passed since the initial deluge, the emergency is far from over. Thousands of survivors remain displaced from their homes, grappling with critical food shortages as emergency rations are rapidly depleted. Aid organizations warn that the situation is so severe that many affected communities are likely to face a protracted hunger crisis well into 2027, given that their vital livelihoods, agricultural land, and food stores have been entirely destroyed.
The human toll of the disaster remains devastatingly high. At least 1,450 people are now confirmed to have lost their lives in the floods. Compounding the tragedy, more than 5,000 people remain missing and unaccounted for, leaving families in agonizing uncertainty.
Furthermore, government assessments reveal that around 7,000 buildings were completely destroyed in the disaster. This has left approximately 32,000 people still displaced from their properties, with many families forced to weather the aftermath in makeshift or temporary shelters as they try to piece their lives back together.
In response to the escalating catastrophe, Islamic Relief launched an emergency appeal immediately following the floods. Working in close coordination with Nepalese authorities and local partner organizations, the charity has so far delivered emergency shelter and other vital provisions to more than 8,000 people. Building on this initial relief effort, the agency is now actively distributing food and emergency shelter support to an additional 1,000 families in desperate need.
Laxmi Raj Joshi, Islamic Relief’s emergency response manager in Nepal, described how conditions on the ground have deteriorated over the past month.
“The humanitarian impact of the flood has continued to deepen over the past month. Whole communities remain displaced and their income and homes are gone. Within a second they lost their household, their livelihood, their land and stores. Now they are in a deepening financial crisis,” Joshi said.
“We are worried that in the coming weeks the food crisis will be alarming. Emergency food rations have been used, and people don’t have money to buy more. Without income and shelter, people don’t know where they will go or what will they do. People need continued support to stop hunger spreading and restore safe and dignified living conditions.”
For many residents, the losses were dramatically compounded by the unprecedented nature of the event. The floods swept through communities with such unexpected scale and speed that many residents were caught unawares, unable to take protective action until it was far too late to secure their properties or evacuate safely.
Shyam Lal Shrestha, a 75-year-old survivor, shared his harrowing experience of the disaster with Islamic Relief, recounting the terrifying speed at which the floodwaters arrived.
“When I first received the message that a flood was coming, I did not believe it. But when I saw the water rushing towards us, I realised how serious the situation was. I immediately ran to free my buffalo and make sure it could escape. At the same time, I pushed my wife towards a higher and safer place. She has a problem with her knees and could not run as fast as I could, so I was very worried about her safety. Everything happened so quickly. We had very little time to think or collect our belongings. Our main priority was simply to get ourselves and our animals to a safe place,” Shrestha said.
Reflecting on his displacement and the deep emotional toll of the tragedy, Shrestha explained the profound connection he has to his homeland, and the uncertainty that now clouds his future.
“For now, we are staying at our neighbour’s house and receiving food at the holding centre. But I do not know what will happen next. I have spent 75 years of my life here in this village. This is where I was born, where I have lived all my life, and where everything I know is. I cannot simply leave and go somewhere else. We have lost our sense of security, but I have nowhere else to go. I only hope that somehow we can rebuild our lives here.”
Islamic Relief brings deep-rooted operational experience to the current crisis, having maintained a continuous presence in Nepal since 2015, when it mounted a major emergency response to the devastating Gorkha earthquake. Over the years, the organization has established strong networks within the country. Last year alone, the charity collaborated with local partner organizations to support more than 113,000 vulnerable people across Nepal through targeted projects focused on education, access to safe water, and helping fragile communities adapt to the escalating threats of climate change and more frequent natural disasters.
As the recovery phase extends into a grueling long-term ordeal, humanitarian workers emphasize that sustained international and local support will be essential to prevent widespread hunger and help families like Shrestha’s reclaim their futures.