Posts

CMAT Assessment Team Leader Kate Auger, and Director Dr. Pat San Agustin await instructions in the UN Compound near Kathmandu Airport - April 29, 2015.

CMAT Assessment Team Leader Kate Auger, and Director Dr. Pat San Agustin await instructions in the UN Compound near Kathmandu Airport – April 29, 2015.

 

Saturday May 2, 2015: The CMAT Assessment team conducted an assessment of the devastated region of Gorkha early Saturday morning, and completed a survey of the city, as well as several rural villages in the environs.

A car is crushed in a rockslide after a 7.9 magnitude earthquake struck Nepal April 25, 2015

A car is crushed in a rockslide after a 7.9 magnitude earthquake struck Nepal April 25, 2015

The devastation in the region was nearly total, as homes and businesses could not withstand the power of the magnitude 7.9 tremor the region experienced on April 25th.  Buildings had collapsed, rockslides blocked roads, and the community has moved to sleeping in the open, terrified of what the next aftershock might bring.

On instruction from the World Health Organization (WHO), the team visited several health facilities, birthing centres and community health centres to get a better picture of the needs of the population, and to report back their findings to the UN Health cluster.  CMAT is to date, the only NGO assigned to this area. The popuulation of the village is about 2500 ppl, and it has a number of outlying communities which can be accessed to do small mobile clinics. This is a key location as it is 25km from the epicentre of the earthquake.

“The biggest concerns are ensuring we monitor for pneumonia and diarrhea, as they pose the greatest outbreak risk at this time,” says Kate Auger, NP, Vice-Chair of CMAT and Team Leader of the assessment team.   “CMAT was the first team on the ground in this location in the very early days after the earthquake.”

Though the trip to Gorkha normally takes only 4-5 hours from Kathmandu, beyond that the team will be travelling through steep mountainous terrain. The road conditions from Kathmandu to Gorkha are excellent, but the passage to the selected site  beyond Gorkha will be much slower as the roads are much more affected.

CMAT Medical Team 1 Departs for Nepal

Nepal Team 1 YVR

CMAT Medical Team 1 gathers at Vancouver International Airport awaiting their flight to Nepal.

CMAT Team 1 was assembled over the past few days, and together with the field hospital, medical equipment and supplies, as well as medications supplied by Health Partners International Canada (HPIC) .  Team members departed from Toronto’s Pearson International Airport, and Vancouver International Airport, and will be greeted in Kathmandu by the assessment team in the late evening on Sunday May 3, 2015.

CMAT Team 1 Members are:

  • Teresa Berdusco, RN (Team Leader) Edmonton, AB.
  • Lucia Chu, RN from Vancouver, BC
  • Tanya Correa, NP from Toronto, ON
  • Carolyn Davies, NP from Amherstburg, ON
  • Dr. Angela Derksen, MD from Winnipeg, MB
  • Dr. Mark Gallow, MD from Windsor, ON
  • Dr. Brad Granberg, MD from Calgary, AB

    IMG_7861

    CMAT Team 1 Members setting off from Toronto.

  • Joshua Henshaw, PCP from Victoria, BC
  • Hanna Kabzems, RN from Edmonton, AB
  • Edward Peters, ACP from Burnaby, BC
  • Scott Ryder, PCP, from Surrey, BC
  • Katherine Scott, RN from Canmore, AB
  • Jason Stevens, ACP from Cumberland, BC
  • Kevin Swalwell, Logistics from London, ON
  • Jenette Ziegler, ACP from Burnaby, BC.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Special Thanks!

Nepal Sponsors

CMAT Director of Communications Lesley Eltom accepts a cheque from Arbor Memorial Foundation for CMAT’s relief efforts in Nepal.

CMAT would never be able to get off the ground without the generous help of our sponsors, supporters and donors.  In the first week alone, our fundraising campaign on CanadaHelps.org raised over $40,000!

In addition to our individual donors, CMAT would like to thank the following supporters for their generous support:

Financial

Goods-in-kind

Services

Rescuers rush to help victims of the devestating earthquake in Nepal - April 25, 2015

Rescuers rush to help victims of the devestating earthquake in Nepal – April 25, 2015 – courtesy Huffington Post Canada

April 25, 2015: Kathmandu, Nepal – A 7.8-magnitude earthquake struck the densely populated Kathmandu Valley in Nepal earlier today, killing thousands, and injuring thousands more. It is being recorded as the worst earthquake to hit the country in more than 80 years*, and the death toll continues to rise.

The quake cut off power and left entire homes, temples, and other structures in the area completely destroyed. Hospitals are at their capacity and many people have been forced to take to the streets, left with little or no means of communication.  Devastation from this disaster, which has been considered 16 times more powerful than the quake that shook Haiti in 2010*, has also shook the neighbouring countries of India and Bangladesh.

Nepal’s mountainous terrain will make relief efforts more challenging, and the full extent of destruction will only be known once rural areas outside Kathmandu can be reached.

CMAT has mobilized its assessment team which will be departing for Nepal shortly.  Depending on assessment findings, a call for volunteers may be placed for further support.

Help CMAT provide medical assistance for the Nepali people at this devastating time, when they are most at risk. Donate now, so that together, we can save lives.

Donate Now Through CanadaHelps.org!

CMAT is also collecting Air Canada Aeroplan miles to help offset the costs of volunteer flights.  You can donate your aeroplan miles here:

AeroplanBeyondMilesLogo

*Source: CBC
People walk along a damaged road in the province of Bohol on Tuesday, October 15. (AP Photo)

People walk along a damaged road in the province of Bohol on Tuesday, October 15. (AP Photo)

A 7.2-magnitude earthquake struck the central Philippines island of Bohol early Tuesday morning, a little after 8am local time. The effects of the quake was felt in Cebu city which is about 37 miles (60 kilometers) north of the epicenter.

The Philippines Office of the Civil Defense (OCD) have confirmed four people killed in Bohol province and two in Cebu. Several structures in Bohol, including churches and homes have been damaged. In Cebu, a church collapsed along with an open market. Mactan airport in Cebu has also suffered damage with several cracks appearing on the runway. Seaports in Bohol and Cebu are affected. In response, the local government has mobilized quick response teams and is assessing further damage.

CMAT continues to monitor for further developments.

For more information, visit the website of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs

Residents view the ruins of the historic Holy Cross Parish Church in Maribojoc on the central Philippine island of Bohol on Friday, October 18. The death toll has risen above 180 after a magnitude-7.1 earthquake on October 15. (AP Photo)

Residents view the ruins of the historic Holy Cross Parish Church in Maribojoc on the central Philippine island of Bohol on Friday, October 18. The death toll has risen above 180 after a magnitude-7.1 earthquake on October 15. (AP Photo)

A magnitude-7.1 earthquake struck the central Philippines on Tuesday, leaving at least 99 people dead and 276 more injured, and rattling many who were celebrating a religious holiday.

The quake, which struck early in the morning, crumbled a number of buildings and sent panicked people streaming into the streets, witnesses said.

The bulk of the casualties — 90 deaths and 166 injuries — came in Bohol province. At least nine were killed in Cebu province and one died in the province of Siquijor, the Philippines News Agency reported, citing the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council.