Aid in the Aftermath: Nepal's Floods and the Future of U.S. Disaster Assistance

Authored by Alexandra Korves, Julia Fox, Johnson Lin, Vaibhav Sinha, Andrew Qvotrup, Andrea Santos. Gauthum Parvatheni, Malcolm Carlton, and Aastha Shreshta 

Executive Summary

This summer, floods in Nepal killed 1400 people and created damages that will cost 1/10th of the country's economy to rebuild. In response, the United States has pledged less than 3 percent of the money it invested a decade ago. This reduced funding is also less money than the United Kingdom and Australia, countries whose economies are a fraction of that of the U.S. America’s past responses to disasters, such as the 2015 earthquake, are a blueprint for how U.S. leadership can boost our own soft power and save lives.

The Disaster

• Flash floods swept the Nepal-Tibet border on August 26th after a glacial collapse, destroying over 20 bridges and 25 miles of roads.

• As of September 16th: 1,400 dead, over 6,000 missing across Nepal and Tibet, including 85 Americans unaccounted for.

• Nepal may need $4-6 billion to rebuild, equal to nearly 10% of the nation's economy.

• Nepal has requested the following international support:

  • High-capacity drones

  • Bailey bridges to restore access across damaged waterways

  • DNA testing kits to help identify victims

  • Tunnel rescue suits

  • Supplies for epidemic prevention.

Then & Now: How U.S. Response Differs From The Past

Nepal itself offers the clearest measure. Two disasters, 11 years apart--a 2015 earthquake and a 2026 flood--were met with two very different American responses:

Source: M. Lindsey Kaplan, Ph.D.

The U.S. Response Falls Short of Allies

• United States: Initial $500,000 provided through Catholic Relief Services, a total of $3.6 million in humanitarian assistance, and one disaster response adviser.

  • In past disasters, USAID implemented full disaster assistance response teams (DARTs). 

• United Kingdom: an economy that is 1/8th of that of the U.S., provided £5 million ($6.78 million) in humanitarian assistance.

• Australia: an economy that is 1/16th of that of the U.S., provided A$5 million ($3.61 million) in humanitarian assistance for affected communities.

• European Union: provided €2 million ($2.37 million), a regional response coordinator, and satellite mapping.

• India: four consignments totalling at least 62 metric tonnes of relief materials. 

What Changed

• As of March 21, 2025, more than 98% of USAID awards containing climate-related elements had been terminated, totaling $2.1 billion across 147 programs.

• Reported assistance to Nepal fell to approximately $56 million in FY2025, down from $212 million in FY2024.

• The loss of U.S.-supported resources reduced Nepal's capacity for hazard monitoring and disaster preparedness.

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Nepal Flash Floods - What You Need to Know

Flooding in August

At approximately 8:45 A.M. local time on Wednesday, August 26th, flash floods and mudslides swept through the area along the Nepal-Tibet border. A deluge of water, mud, and sediment surged through the Lhende Khola river valley, devastating villages, destroying over 20 bridges, and wiping out over 25 miles (40 kilometers) of roads along the way. 

The US Geological Survey reported a magnitude 5.2 glacier collapse in the Himalayan mountains, temporarily damming the Lhende River, which resulted in a current barreling through with devastating force and flowing into the Trishuli River. The loose rock and sediment continued to rush downstream. 

(Image source: CNN)

The following day, Nepal and China both predicted risks of more flooding in the Himalayas caused by two lakes developing ​on either side of the border, threatening to break as the region still grapples with the catastrophic flood. Scientists are still analyzing the data to determine the exact cause of the collapse and how climate change impacted this glacier. 

An Urgent Need

As of September 16th, the death toll has risen to 1,400, with over 6000 people still missing across Nepal and Tibet, among them an estimated 587 foreign nationals. A significant number of the missing were pilgrims trekking to or from Mount Kailash, a spiritual site revered by followers of four religions. Most recent reports state an estimated 13,300 people have been rescued. Preliminary International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) estimations predict a total of 93,000 people have been affected by this crisis. 

The dangers of the flood are not over. Rescuers continue to face difficulty in remote areas, as helicopter operations pause overnight and rain continues steadily throughout the region, hampering rescue efforts. Hundreds of hydropower workers remain unaccounted for, trapped across underground tunnels and worksites. Of the roughly 900 people missing from the hydroelectric projects, army rescuers estimate that about 121 could be trapped inside the tunnels, while others may have been working elsewhere at the power plants. Search teams have pulled out only four survivors in recent days, including a Chinese national recovered from a tunnel on September 5th. In the meantime, thousands of families gather in safe areas and hospitals, desperately awaiting news of loved ones. At Kathmandu Hospital, posters of the missing line the walls. Hundreds of the injured continue to recover in the hospital’s wards, as people frantically check lists of patients, desperate to find their missing loved ones. Downstream in Bharatpur, Chitwan district, the remains washed ashore have been far more numerous than its morgues can contain. Chitwan officials were forced to begin burying the still unidentified bodies due to health risks. 

The need for assistance is as urgent as ever. People are in need of medical aid, safe water, food, shelter, and their loved ones.

“The priority now is to reach affected communities and get assistance to people who have lost their homes, suffered injuries or have been cut off,” said the IFRC head of delegation for Nepal, David Fisher. Nepal has also appealed to the international community for specialized equipment needed to support these efforts, including high-capacity drones, Bailey bridges to restore access across damaged waterways, DNA testing kits to help identify victims, tunnel rescue suits, and supplies for epidemic prevention. These requests demonstrate the disaster has created not only immediate humanitarian needs, but also urgent logistical and technical challenges that require international assistance.

Access to essential power has also been an alarming concern. According to Jakob Steiner, a geoscientist currently based in Bangladesh, 10% of Nepal’s power production was located in the affected region. Finance Minister Swarnim Wagle told Reuters on August 29th that Nepal may need $4 billion to $5 billion to rebuild after this week's devastating floods, ​a bill equal to nearly a tenth of the nation’s ​economy. Steiner questions whether enough has been done in Nepal to install warning systems to protect visitors and residents from rapidly forming natural disasters, such as the 7.8 magnitude earthquake in 2015, which cost about a third of the economy and resulted in over 24,000 casualties. 

In addition to critical infrastructure repair, communities are in dire need of clean water, sanitation, healthcare, and mental health support.  The extensive damage has left many communities without access to filtration and medical care, as surrounding communities and hospitals scramble to support their displaced counterparts. Those who have survived the floods, in their weakened state, also face heightened risks of disease, malnutrition, and exploitation. According to UNICEF, at least four health facilities have been severely damaged, preventing children and families from accessing health care services, just when they need it the most. 

On September 1st, the Kathmandu Post released an interview with Foreign Affairs Minister Shisir Khanal on the Nepalese response to the disaster. “This was not a standard flood,” said the Foreign Minister. “With wave heights reaching 20 to 30 meters and speeds clocked at 180 kilometres per hour, this was a disaster of tornado-like velocity—what many are rightly calling a ‘Himalayan Tsunami’. It is a scale of disaster that is entirely outside the living memory of Nepal.”

Although Nepal is one of the world’s lowest greenhouse gas emission contributors, it has still experienced disproportionate environmental ramifications of global warming. In addition to highlighting the extreme topographical shifts of the region, the recent collapse also draws attention to the alarming speed at which the Himalayan glaciers are melting - a vital source of water security for at least 2 billion people in South Asia.  

The U.S. Government Response

Subsequent to the devastating flash floods, the U.S. government has begun providing both humanitarian and consular assistance. On August 27th, the United States initially committed $500,000 in humanitarian assistance through Catholic Relief Services. The funding will support emergency shelter, relief supplies, clean water, and hygiene services for communities affected by the floods. Furthermore, the U.S. State Department deployed a disaster response adviser to the region to support the broader humanitarian response. On Saturday, August 29th, the State Department pledged a total of $3.6 million in humanitarian assistance to address the crisis.

The U.S. Embassy in Kathmandu and the State Department are also assisting American citizens affected by the disaster. The State Department's publicly disclosed efforts include working with local authorities, providing emergency updates, and operating telephone lines for affected citizens and their families.  That assistance is urgently needed. In addition to all those affected by the floods, U.S. officials reported that around 85 Americans remain unaccounted for. 

In order to coordinate rescue efforts involving foreign nationals, about 30,000 Nepali security forces have been deployed for the relief mission, specifically to coordinate information, search-and-rescue efforts, and assistance. This highlights the division of responsibility - while the $500,000 funding is intended to benefit affected communities across Nepal, consular assistance is focused specifically on U.S. citizens and their families. 

However, despite the State Department’s efforts, the scale of U.S. foreign aid, relative to its own economy and size, falls short of many of its allies.  For example, the United Kingdom, a nation whose economy is roughly 1/8th the size of the U.S. economy, announced £5 million in humanitarian assistance for Nepal, distributed through the UN, the Red Cross, and NGO efforts. The UK is also deploying a Rapid Deployment Team to Kathmandu to provide additional consular support to British nationals and their families. Australia, a nation whose economy is roughly 1/16th of that of the U.S., also announced an A$5 million humanitarian assistance package for affected communities and deployed personnel to assist Australians. As of August 29th, India had already provided a fourth consignment, totalling 62 metric tonnes of relief materials, medicines, and food packets for Nepal. The European Union has also allocated €2 million in aid, deployed a regional response coordinator, activated satellite mapping, and reported the distribution of relief supplies through EU-funded partners. 

In comparison, the up to $3.6 million in U.S. financial commitment is far smaller than the UK's and Australia's multi-million-dollar packages, when accounting for the size of their budgets relative to that of the U.S. The U.S. has also not announced any in-kind support comparable to those of India and the EU. However, dollar amounts alone do not capture the full capacity of the U.S. response. If the government of Nepal requested additional U.S. assistance, limited U.S. military support could add useful specialized technical assistance. Resources such as airlift, logistics, communications, engineering, or specialized disaster response capabilities could help reach isolated communities and improve coordination. There is precedent for such support. Any new U.S. support, however, would face the political challenge of gaining the Nepali government’s consent. Nepalese officials initially refused foreign assistance for search and rescue operations. The Nepalese authorities have since then admitted the need for help in specific areas where international assistance could be beneficial, such as temporary bridges, communications restoration, and victim identification -all of which are areas that limited U.S. military support could provide assistance. 

The effectiveness of each country's aid will ultimately be measured by how quickly assistance reaches affected communities and whether it fills gaps in Nepal's ongoing search and rescue recovery efforts. However, as it currently stands, the United States has not been a clear leader in global support efforts for the disaster-struck country like it once was.

Past American Responses to Natural Disasters

Previous USAID and U.S. disaster responses in Nepal and around the world highlight the importance of effective foreign aid funding and implementation. In April 2015, a magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck and devastated Nepal and surrounding areas, killing nearly 9,000 people, injuring roughly 24,000, and causing damage to hundreds of thousands of homes. At the time, the NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information estimated a total of $6 billion in damages.

During the 2015 Nepal earthquakes, U.S. military assets transported search and rescue teams and provided communications and logistics coordination. Compared to current U.S. support, sitting at $3.6 million, America provided $130 million to Nepal in 2015, a stark difference in scale. Working closely with foreign governments and with U.S. military support, USAID’s Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance implemented disaster assistance response teams (DARTs) consisting of trained fire departments and U.S. citizens from Los Angeles County, California, and Fairfax, Virginia. These teams targeted search-and-rescue missions and food and water services. The mountainous nature of Nepal required swift helicopter response to assist these efforts, which was coordinated with U.S. Pacific Command, demonstrating the importance of U.S. military response, presence, and usefulness within foreign aid. In the wake of the recent environmental shift in the region, including the massive 2015 Gorkha earthquake, USAID had established Tayar, a flagship disaster preparedness and response program, for Nepal until its discontinuation in 2024. 

Long-term investment also plays an important role. In fact, since 1951, the U.S. has provided more than $1.3 billion in total development assistance to Nepal. These efforts encourage strong recovery in coordination with foreign governments. Beyond immediate humanitarian responses, additional long-term recovery efforts also create opportunities for the U.S. to exert soft power while helping to rebuild impacted nations. As the Council on Foreign Relations notes, in Nepal, where “the challenge of corruption and still simmering fault lines from the Maoist conflict” has persisted into the 21st century, these disaster-response efforts open up a long-term opportunity for regional soft power influence tied to necessary aid efforts.

USAID has an established record of providing assistance in response to natural disasters across the globe, supporting vulnerable communities through immediate crises and long-term resilience programming. In Fiscal Year 2024, USAID provided nearly $100 million in funding to Nigeria to address the urgent needs of communities affected by disasters, including floods. This broader assistance included more than $6.5 million to the International Organization for Migration (IOM) to address flood-related humanitarian needs across Nigeria. These investments enabled local partners to assist communities affected by severe flooding that impacted more than 619,000 people across 29 states, claimed 210 lives, displaced nearly 228,700 people, and damaged more than 84,800 homes. 

Similar disaster response efforts took place elsewhere in 2024, in response to flooding and the subsequent health crisis in Burundi. Heavy rains and high winds intensified by El Niño caused widespread flooding, landslides, and hailstorms, severely affecting more than 200,000 people as a result. Instead of experiencing its usual two rainy seasons, Burundi faced months of unrelenting rainfall, creating significant humanitarian challenges. In June 2024, USAID provided $1 million in emergency assistance to ensure communities in Burundi affected by El Niño received essential, life-saving support as quickly as possible. The funding provided critical resources, including emergency shelter, cash assistance, and household items. Furthermore, to prevent the spread of the disease, USAID also provided access to clean water, sanitation, and hygiene supplies. 

USAID’s support extended beyond immediate disaster relief to address the broader health needs of vulnerable communities within Burundi. Through funding from USAID's Office for Humanitarian Assistance, UNICEF implemented a program to treat severe acute malnutrition in children under five across all 18 provinces. In 2023 alone, healthcare programs across Burundi treated more than 54,000 newly identified cases of severe acute malnutrition. 

The flooding in Pakistan provides yet another example of how USAID has combined immediate disaster relief with longer-term investments in community resilience. Following severe monsoon rains and flooding in 2022, millions of people in Pakistan were displaced and left in urgent need of food, clean water, shelter, and medical assistance. These floods occurred amid a record year for disaster-related displacement, with 32.6 million people internally displaced worldwide in 2022, the highest ever recorded. In order to combat the humanitarian crisis unfolding in Pakistan, USAID deployed a DART to lead the U.S. humanitarian response and quickly provide aid to affected communities. Working with international and local partners, such as the U.S. Department of Defense, USAID was able to establish an air bridge that delivered nearly 630 metric tons of life-saving relief supplies to Pakistan. 

Beyond the immediate emergency, USAID continued to support Pakistan by announcing an additional $16.4 million in development and humanitarian assistance to strengthen the resilience of communities affected by these natural disasters. These historically severe floods impacted an estimated 33 million people and had a devastating impact on infrastructure, crops, livelihoods, and livestock throughout the country. By investing in both immediate relief and longer-term recovery, USAID helped communities not only address the devastating impacts of the floods but also strengthen their ability to withstand and recover from future natural disasters.

The experiences in Nepal, Nigeria, Burundi, and Pakistan show that effective disaster response depends on more than funding short-term relief efforts. These responses demonstrate that U.S. foreign assistance has historically served two purposes during major disasters: addressing immediate humanitarian needs while helping affected communities recover and become better prepared for future crises. 

Now & Then - A Blueprint For Reviving American Leadership

The recent flooding in Nepal highlights the importance of international assistance in helping vulnerable communities prepare for and recover from climate-related disasters. The greater value of USAID funding lies in investments made years before a crisis occurs, such as strengthening local governments, improving early warning systems, training emergency personnel, and thus improving public institutions’ ability to coordinate during emergencies.

Under USAID, U.S. foreign assistance supported not only immediate humanitarian needs but also long-term programs focused on climate resilience, environmental management, and disaster preparedness. In fiscal year (FY) 2023, USAID disbursed nearly $44 billion across 160 countries and regions. While some funding went toward biodiversity and forestry programs, these investments also supported sustainable landscapes and environmental systems that can help communities reduce their vulnerability to natural disasters. USAID’s environmental assistance also supported efforts to manage natural resources and environmental risks that can contribute to Nepal’s vulnerability to floods and landslides, including erosion, watershed degradation, and land-use changes.  

Before the 2025 administrative cuts, the U.S. government provided substantial assistance to Nepal. In FY2024, the latest full report to date, Nepal received approximately $212 million in American aid. These investments helped strengthen Nepal’s ability to manage environmental risks and prepare for natural disasters. The post-USAID period, however, brought a major reduction in climate-related assistance, which is a significant reason why the 2026 response does not match the appropriate scale. As of March 21, 2025, more than 98 percent of USAID awards relating in any form to climate had been terminated. These cancellations represented approximately $2.1 billion across 147 programs, while only three awards totaling $36 million remained active. For countries vulnerable to flooding, reductions of this scale affect long-term preparedness, including early warning systems, infrastructure, and local emergency planning. 

Following the 2025 administrative cuts, reported U.S. assistance to Nepal declined to approximately $56 million in FY2025 from the previous $212 million in FY2024. Refugees International reports that the South Asia region had 21.7% of terminated USAID Climate Grant amounts. 41%, or over U.S. $873 million, of terminated USAID climate grants were not geographically bounded and considered global, while $1.25 billion in grants were allocated to specific regions or countries. This represents a substantial reduction in the resources available for environmental protection compared with FY2024. The decline is particularly significant given Nepal’s exposure to floods, landslides, and other environmental hazards.

(Image Source: Refugees International)

The effects of the USAID cuts were not limited to a reduction in funding, as they also disrupted programs and services that directly supported vulnerable communities in Nepal. The loss of U.S.-supported resources also reduced Nepal’s capacity for environmental management, climate adaptation, hazard monitoring, and disaster preparedness. Reinforcement in these sectors can critically help communities identify risks, prepare for emergencies, and reduce loss of life. Although there is no evidence that the USAID cuts caused the August 2026 flash flood, the disaster demonstrates the importance of maintaining these capabilities in a country highly exposed to floods, landslides, and other environmental hazards.

In the interview with the Kathmandu Post, Foreign Affairs Minister Shisir Khanal dispelled earlier claims of the Nepalese government outright declining foreign aid, but reframed the monetary request. “We are shifting our diplomatic framework from ‘aid’ to ‘justice and compensation’. This is not a matter of charity; it is a matter of legal and moral liability. The major industrial emitters—such as China, which is the world’s top emitter, the United States at number two, and India at number three—have a historical responsibility to compensate vulnerable nations like Nepal.” The Foreign Minister’s claims are not unfounded - studies have shown that countries comprising the Global North (roughly 25% of the world’s population) have contributed more than 90% of the total climate emissions produced since the Industrial Revolution. The United States alone is the largest contributor, responsible for at least 25 % of historical emissions. Consequently, the Global South, making up more than half of the world population, produces just under 9% of total emissions and is disproportionately affected by the global effects of climate change. This is partially due to geographical locations; however, the primary factors exacerbating the divide relate to political and socio-economic inequalities. It should therefore be no surprise that, in recent years, the call for climate justice has gained global momentum across industries with wide support from scholars, activists, and policymakers alike. 

The Path Forward

The United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) emphasizes that disaster resilience depends heavily on institutional strength, governance, knowledge, and organizational capacity. Its research estimates that every dollar invested in disaster-risk reduction can save approximately $4 to $7 USD in disaster response. More recent UNDRR guidance similarly calls for shifting international financing away from reactive post-disaster spending toward predictable, long-term investment in prevention and resilience.

If Congress establishes predictable, multi-year funding for programs that strengthen institutional capacity, particularly in public administration, disaster preparedness, and infrastructure resilience, reforming USAID should preserve its development mission while making U.S. foreign assistance more strategic and locally sustainable. Funding should also be tied to measurable outcomes rather than short-term spending targets, with independent evaluations determining whether programs strengthen local institutions. The USAID Office of Inspector General, for example, has identified weaknesses in data reliability, partner capacity, and agency oversight, showing that localization must be paired with strong monitoring and accountability.

USAID’s localization framework offers a useful model. Assistance should shift executive power and resources to local leaders, allowing communities and governments to identify their own needs and build the capacity to sustain programs after American funding ends. Ultimately, the goal is to ensure recipient states become self-sufficient.

Furthermore, in the immediate term, the United States needs to respond with the scale it once did. We must, at the very least, return disaster relief infrastructure and investment to the same level as pre-USAID dismantlement. The $130 million investment for Nepal in 2015 serves as a counter case for what scale we used before, versus now. That, and sending a full DART team rather than just one advisor.

If we combine scale with improved efficiency, we can save more lives, including the more than 80 Americans still missing to date in Nepal and Tibet. 

There is no need to reinvent the wheel. America has demonstrated a successful model to be a leader amidst these crises. It’s time for us to build upon it, rather than abandoning it altogether. The devastating natural catastrophe in Nepal is a stark reminder of the human cost of getting it wrong; however, it is also a reminder of the harm that we can prevent by getting things right from this point onwards.