Israel, CBN Join Int'l Aid Response to Nepal

KATHMANDU, Nepal – The death toll in Nepal is now well over 6,000 after last weekend's devastating 7.8-magnitude earthquake. Thousands more are injured and homeless and in desperate need of help.

That help is now coming from around the world, including teams from Israel and CBN Disaster Relief.

Miraculous Rescue

When a team of first responders from IsraAID arrived at a collapsed hotel building in Kathmandu, they discovered someone was trapped inside.

French rescuers then brought in hi-tech sound equipment that detected breathing and a heartbeat beneath the rubble.

Norwegian rescuers joined in, and eight hours later, Krishna Devi Khadka was freed from the concrete that had encapsulated her for five days.

The international rescue effort gave Nepalis hope that their missing loved ones may still be alive nearly one week after the earthquake.

Israeli Response

The IsraAID rescuers were not the only Israelis among the first responders in Nepal. Members of the Israeli Defense Forces arrived within hours after the earthquake and set up a sophisticated mobile MASH unit to treat injured Nepalis.

In addition, two Israeli doctors have joined the CBN Disaster Relief team in Kathmandu, providing much needed medical treatment.

"Israelis are a warm people and they usually like to do, and not to talk. I see it many times that Israelis act very quickly and actually Nepal has a very special place in the heart of many Israelis," Dr. Sharon Shaul, an Israeli family practitioner, told CBN News.

The doctors treated infected wounds, and many people with pneumonia and upper respiratory infections received medication.

One ailing woman's condition got worse after the earthquake. She had no one to turn to for help.

"I am very happy with the team that came by today," she said. "They gave me medicine and also had an opportunity to meet the team members. I am really thankful!"

The Hands, Feet of Jesus

CBN's relief team is truly an international one. The Israeli doctors have brought medical help, but so has Dr. Carla from CBN Indonesia. Other team members have come from India, the United States, and Nepal.

"Because of our offices in and around the world, we're able to quickly respond to disasters immediately, effectively not having to send a team from America over a  period of time," CBN Disaster Relief's Brian Scott said.

"They can fly usually within an hour, or two hours and be on the ground and on the scene to assist our partners in the country, which they have done in Nepal," he explained.

"It's not only international – that we work with Indians, Indonesian doctors, Americans, and people from all over the world – but it is also interreligious and I think that is very special." Dr. Shaul said.

In addition to medical care, CBN has provided food for the hungry and tarps and mattresses for the homeless and displaced.

When natural disasters like the Nepal earthquake strike and wreak havoc on a nation, Christians and Jews are often first responders.

"You know coming and being able to show we care, support allows us to be the hands and feet of Jesus Christ," Scott explained.

"CBN here has come with the presence to make a long-term, sustainable impact. Their lives have been totally destroyed. They've been shaken. This earthquake has rattled the entire nation," he said.