根据白宫发布的消息，欧巴马总统4月29日同尼泊尔总理苏希尔·柯伊拉腊（Sushil Koirala）进行了电话交谈，“承诺美国将竭尽全力在尼泊尔人民需要帮助的时刻提供援助”。【请见英文通话纪要】

在尼泊尔艰难地应对这场7.8级大地震所造成的灾难之时，来自弗吉尼亚州费尔法克斯县（Fairfax County, Virginia）和洛杉矶县消防局（Los Angeles County Fire Department）的救援团队奋力抢救灾民，动用了专门的设备和搜救犬。

这两支搜救队是美国国际发展署（USAID）灾难援助反应小组（Disaster Assistance Response Team）的一部分。4月27日，美国承诺向尼泊尔追加提供900万美元救灾援助，并于此前即时提供了100万美元的第一批援助。

美国与尼泊尔政府协调，到目前为止已经提供了以下援助：

• 130名人道主义专家及搜救队队员。

• 4万1千公斤（约合9万磅）设备，用于协作及救援努力。

• 700卷塑料布，用于为多达3万5千人紧急搭建住所。

根据目前的统计数字，在地震中死亡的人数已超过5千人。受到地震影响的灾民有800万人。当地余震不断，进一步造成破坏，并给救援人员在城区以及难以进行搜索的农村地区的工作带来困难。

美国同联合国、其他国家以及国际救灾组织一起，协同尼泊尔政府抢险救灾。

美国国际发展署美国海外救灾援助办公室（Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance）主任杰里米·康宁岱克（Jeremy Konyndyk）说：“这个机制实际上已久经考验，形成了一整套部署及协调搜救队的国际体系。”

请您登陆美国国际开发署网页为地震救灾出力。这个网页列出了帮助尼泊尔人民渡过难关的各个组织的网址。您还可以通过美国驻加德满都大使馆的脸书网页（U.S. Embassy Kathmandu Facebook）了解美国救灾努力的最新情况。



Search and rescue teams rush to help Nepal

More than 12,000 kilometers separate Nepal from the United States, but that’s not stopping America’s best search and rescue teams from helping the country’s people after the devastating April 25 earthquake.

President Obama “pledged that the United States will do all that it can to help the people of Nepal in their time of need” during an April 29 phone call with Nepali Prime Minister Sushil Koirala, the White House said.

As Nepal wrestles with the tragedy caused by the 7.8 magnitude earthquake, rescue teams from Fairfax County, Virginia, and the Los Angeles County Fire Department are working to save lives with hard work, specialized equipment and rescue dogs.

The rescue teams are part of a U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Disaster Assistance Response Team. On April 27, the United States pledged an additional $9 million in relief assistance for Nepal after an initial $1 million in immediate assistance.

In coordination with the government of Nepal, the United States has so far supplied:

• 130 humanitarian experts and search and rescue team personnel.

• 41,000 kilograms (90,000 pounds) of equipment for coordination and rescue efforts.

• 700 rolls of plastic sheeting to help up to 35,000 people with emergency shelter needs.

By current estimates, more than 5,000 people have died from the earthquake. Another 8 million have been affected. Aftershocks continue to cause more destruction, challenging rescuers in urban and hard-to-reach rural areas.

The United States joins the United Nations, other countries and international groups working on disaster relief in coordination with the government of Nepal.

“This is a pretty well-oiled machine, actually,” said Jeremy Konyndyk, director of USAID’s Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance. “There is a whole international system for deploying and coordinating search and rescue teams.”

Help contribute to earthquake relief by visiting this USAID page that provides links to organizations helping Nepal’s citizens during this difficult time. Keep up-to-date with the latest U.S. relief efforts in Nepal through the U.S. Embassy Kathmandu Facebook page.