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Washington, Sep 8 (PTI) Thirty US lawmakers, including five Indian-Americans, wrote to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, urging him to use every available resource to ensure the safety and recovery of US citizens affected by the devastating flash floods in Nepal.
At least 75 US citizens are missing in the August 26 flash floods in Nepal that left over 1,300 people dead.
The lawmakers, including Raja Krishnamoorthi, Ro Khanna, Suhas Subramanyam, Shri Thanedar and Pramila Jayapal, urged the State Department to provide daily updates to the family members of those missing and deploy high-altitude assets and thermal/infrared drones in search operations.
Several Indian-Americans are among the US citizens missing in the Nepal floods that hit the Rasuwa
region, a key transit point for the Kailash-Mansarovar pilgrimage.
“We support the Department’s announcement of USD 500,000 in assistance through its global award with Catholic Relief Services to support emergency shelter, relief items, and water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) assistance, as well as the USD 3.6 million in humanitarian assistance announced on August 29,” the lawmakers wrote. “Nonetheless, given the unprecedented loss of life and countless missing persons, we urge the Department to do much more,” they said.
They also urged Rubio to deploy a Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) to affected communities. “These elite teams can lead the US government’s disaster response, identify emerging needs, and coordinate with local authorities and partner organisations,” the lawmakers said.
They also urged the State Department to continue diplomatic outreach to Nepal, China, and donor countries to facilitate updates about missing American citizens for their family members. PTI SKU RD RD RD
