Five days after Nepal’s worst glacial flood, Caritas continued a full-scale relief operation for thousands of families in the affected area. The work has also taken on the grim task of corpse management, helping deal with the many dead bodies resulting from the catastrophe.

The official death toll of the deluge, provided by authorities, has climbed to 919, and 4,793 people are still missing. More than 930 hydropower workers remain unaccounted for, LiCAS News reported. Many are feared to be trapped in hydro tunnels along the Bhote Koshi-Trishuli river system.

In a situation report shared with EWTN News on Aug. 30, the president of Caritas Nepal, Father Silas Krishna Bogati, confirmed that the Catholic Church’s response is fully operational. Emergency shelters and hygiene kits have reached over 1,000 households. A cash assistance payment of 15,000 Nepali rupees (roughly $110) is being distributed to 750 of the worst-affected families.

The priest, who also serves as apostolic administrator of the Apostolic Vicariate of Nepal, added that more than 50 community kitchens run daily to feed 300 families.

The full scale of destruction is yet to be accounted for. Reuters reported that the flood destroyed 19 bridges, roadways, and other crucial infrastructure, hampering emergency aid and the search for survivors.

As rescue operations, supported by China and India, continue amid the risk of landslides and more flooding, aid workers are already flagging a second looming emergency: winter. Displaced families sheltering in high-altitude areas will require thermal gear and winter-proof shelter within weeks, Bogati shared with EWTN News.

Nepal Red Cross has formally asked Caritas Nepal to source more than 1,000 body bags, with decomposition already becoming a public health concern, the president of Caritas Nepal wrote.

To avoid future catastrophes, Nepal and China are expected to improve communication on real-time glacier data, avalanche risks, and water levels.

International pledges for help and support exceed $200 million, with commitments from the United States, Europe, Canada, and the World Bank.

The United States is delivering a range of supplies requested by the Government of Nepal and is working with Nepal to ensure that assistance reaches the people who need it.

Today, Chargé d’Affaires Scott Urbom sent the first shipment of emergency supplies from the United States to Nepalis affected by the flooding. Catholic Relief Services, working through implementing partner Caritas Nepal, will deliver more than 2.5 metric tons of food supplies, 500 blankets, 500 mosquito nets, and 500 insulating foam sheets for temporary shelter flooring to two school locations in Rasuwa. U.S. Embassy Nepal is closely coordinating with the Government of Nepal, Catholic Relief Services, and Caritas Nepal to prepare and deliver subsequent shipments of supplies that match Nepal’s needs.

After expressing, in a telegram, his deep sorrow over the devastating flooding in Nepal on Wednesday, August 26, Pope Leo XIV has sent concrete financial support, in coordination with the Apostolic Nunciature of Nepal, to meet the most urgent needs of the population affected by the disaster.

The contribution will help Caritas Nepal, which operates under the direction of the Apostolic Vicariate, with the activities already underway since the first hours after the flood, namely providing immediate assistance with food, basic necessities, and shelter for those who have lost everything.

"This is the initial assistance that the Holy Father, as on other occasions, wanted to send to meet the immediate needs of the population,” explained the Prefect of the Dicastery for the Service of Charity, Archbishop Luis Marín de San Martín.

The Prefect called it "a rapid and concrete sign to convey, especially to the most vulnerable, the closeness and tenderness of the Holy Father, like a caress from the Church that accompanies and supports them."