DOD Names Nepal Earthquake Relief Efforts ‘Operation Helping Hand’
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Two US Osprey aircraft come in for a landing at Kathmandu’s international airport on May 3, 2015 as part of a new phase by the US goverment in helping the distribution of aid to remote parts of the Himalayan nation. ROBERTO SCHMIDT/AFP/Getty Images(WASHINGTON) — U.S. military relief efforts in Nepal now have a name, the Department of Defense announced on Sunday.
The mission, which consists of approximately 300 personnel on the ground in Nepal so far, will be called “Operation Sahayogi Haat,” which translates to “Helping Hand” in Nepali. Last week, the U.S. sent a number of aircraft to Nepal to help provide relief to more isolated parts of the region that need humanitarian aid.
Part of the U.S. effort has included transporting tarps and tent supplies to help provide shelter to those whose homes were destroyed, the Marines say.
More than 7,500 people were killed and 16,000 more injured in the magnitude-7.8 earthquake that hit central Nepal on April 25.
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