UCC Appeals for Aid as Flooding in Nepal Kills Over 1,000

A glacier in the Himalayan mountains gave way on August 26, 2026, sending a major avalanche of ice and rock into the Bhote Koshi River, according to the United Church of Christ’s appeal for Nepal. The debris formed a dam in the river, which suddenly gave way and released a torrent of water and debris that flooded the Bhote Koshi and Trishuli river valleys. Communities in Rasuwa, Nuwakot, Gorkha and Dhading were severely affected. The appeal, published September 8, describes the result as devastating.

As of September 8, more than 1,357 people had died, and nearly 5,000 remained missing. Schooling had been disrupted for 9,732 children. Community health facilities, health posts and hospitals in the affected area had sustained significant structural damage. The flooding also destroyed homes, settlements, business houses, agricultural farms, roads, bridges, hydropower facilities, and Nepal-China border customs and immigration facilities, along with other critical infrastructure.

Nepal’s National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority (NDRRMA) has characterized the event as a large-scale and catastrophic emergency that requires a coordinated national and international humanitarian response. According to the NDRRMA, five districts along the Bhotekoshi-Trishuli river corridor, spanning roughly 200 kilometers, are affected. About 1.6 million people have been directly impacted. In the two most severely affected municipalities, Gosaikunda and Amachhodingmo Rural Municipalities in Rasuwa, 14,461 people remain isolated. Road connectivity, electricity and communication services there have been disrupted, which severely limits access to essential services, supplies and emergency assistance.

The United Church of Christ, through its Global HOPE team and Global Ministries, is supporting the relief and response work of ACT Alliance and local Global Ministries partners. According to the appeal, these partners are providing shelter, food and nutrition, water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH), education, and mental and psychosocial support for affected communities. The UCC has launched an urgent appeal to deliver life-saving aid for immediate humanitarian needs and to support long-term recovery. Those who give, the appeal says, will help provide relief to people facing severe hardship and help communities rebuild over the long term (Matthew 25:35).

The appeal asks readers to make a gift to the UCC Nepal appeal. Donors who prefer to mail a check may make it payable to the United Church of Christ and send it to PO Box 71957, Cleveland, OH 44194, noting “Nepal Flooding” in the memo section. The UCC’s EIN is 34-1927041.

Source: Read the original report