Jesuits Mobilize as Nepal Floods Leave more than 1,000 Dead and Thousands Missing

Jesuit organizations have launched an emergency response after catastrophic flash floods in Nepal left more than 1,000 people dead and thousands missing, with local Jesuit partners working alongside authorities to assist affected communities.

Jesuit Mission Australia has launched an urgent appeal through its Emergency Action Fund to support relief and longer-term recovery following the disaster, which struck northern Nepal and areas along the Nepal-China border on August 26.

The flooding, triggered by a glacier collapse in the Himalayas, swept through communities, destroying homes, roads, bridges and infrastructure. Nepalese authorities have reported more than 1,200 deaths and thousands of people still unaccounted for, while rescue teams continue searching devastated areas and damaged hydropower facilities.

Local Jesuit partners Fe y Alegría Nepal and the Nepal Jesuit Social Institute (NJSI) are already assisting communities and coordinating with local authorities.

Fr. Shajumon Chakkalakkal SJ, provincial of the Darjeeling-Nepal Province, said teachers and students in Jesuit schools were among those affected by the floodwaters, which some reports described as resembling “liquid cement.”

“Thousands lack food, electricity and internet connectivity,” Fr. Shajumon said. “Many who had gone to work in a neighboring district are missing or dead. All the shops are empty of supplies. If connectivity is not established, many will starve.”

The communications breakdown has made it difficult for families to locate relatives and for relief teams to reach isolated communities.

Fr. Agustus Ekka SJ, director of Fe y Alegría Nepal, reported that some of his colleagues were searching for family members who remain missing.

Beyond the loss of life, entire villages have been devastated and livelihoods destroyed. Hundreds of children have also lost access to their schools.

Jesuit schools operated by Fe y Alegría Nepal have not been spared. While some school buildings remain standing, members of the school communities are still waiting for news of missing relatives and loved ones.

The Jesuit response also draws on experience from the devastating 2015 earthquake in Nepal. Jesuit organizations and their supporters in Australia helped children return to school and supported the rebuilding of schools as well as roads and bridges needed to reconnect communities.

Education is again expected to form an important part of the longer-term response.

Jesuit Mission Australia said its immediate priority is to support communities affected by the floods while also preparing for recovery in the months ahead.

Helen Forde, CEO of Jesuit Mission Australia, said Australian supporters could help provide critical relief to communities facing loss and displacement.

“In Nepal’s time of sorrow, we know that the generosity of Australian supporters will enable the critical relief work required over the next weeks and months,” Forde said.

The disaster has placed enormous pressure on Nepal’s already difficult-to-reach mountain communities. Rescue operations have focused particularly on hydropower projects, where hundreds of workers are believed to have been trapped. International teams have joined Nepalese rescuers as authorities continue efforts to locate survivors and identify victims.

For the Jesuit partners working in Nepal, the response extends beyond immediate emergency assistance to restoring education, livelihoods and community infrastructure.

The Jesuit Mission Australia appeal calls for support for affected families immediately and during the longer recovery, as communities begin rebuilding after one of the most devastating disasters to strike the Himalayan region in recent years.