US State Department Raises Nepal Flood Aid to $3.6 Million as Death Toll Tops 1,000
Updated
Updated · The Guardian · Sep 2
US State Department Raises Nepal Flood Aid to $3.6 Million as Death Toll Tops 1,000
3 articles · Updated · The Guardian · Sep 2
Summary
$3.6 million in US emergency aid will fund food for 10,000 Nepalese households for up to three months, plus blankets, mosquito nets and shelter sheets after last week’s floods and mudslides.
The increase followed backlash over an initial $500,000 pledge that aid veterans called “embarrassing” and “pitiful” for a disaster that has killed more than 1,000 people and left 4,400 missing.
Former USAID officials said the response reflects the loss of US disaster capacity after USAID was dismantled and absorbed into the State Department in 2025, arguing a field team once would have assessed needs quickly in Nepal.
The State Department said the first tranche was meant to move aid immediately while assessments continued, insisting the USAID overhaul had not slowed the response and that support could still be adjusted.
India and China are leading much of the wider relief effort, underscoring concerns from aid specialists that a smaller US role weakens both humanitarian reach and Washington’s regional influence.