No time to lose: Global response to Nepal quake gears up

LONDON - There is still time to save lives - that's why governments and aid agencies Sunday rushed doctors, volunteers and equipment to Nepal without waiting for the dust to settle.

UN spokeswoman Orla Fagan, who is heading to Nepal, said preventing the spread of disease is one of the most important tasks facing aid workers who are arriving.

"There are 14 international medical teams on the way and either 14 or 15 international search-and-rescue teams on the way," she said. "They need to get in as soon as possible. They will use military aircraft to get them into Nepal."

Diarrhea was already a growing problem and a measles outbreak was feared, with vaccines in short supply, the UN warned in a report.

Substantial logistical hurdles remain, but there were hopeful signs as Kathmandu's international airport reopened after Saturday's crushing earthquake, though there were still delays as aftershocks continued. Some aid vehicles were able to travel overland from Indian to the stricken Nepalese city of Pokhara.

"That means supplies could potentially come in overland from India. That is a positive sign," said Ben Pickering, Save the Children's humanitarian adviser in Britain. "The airport opening is a small miracle."

He cautioned that chaotic conditions may create a bottleneck at the airport as governments and aid agencies try to bring in personnel and supplies in the coming days.

The need is great: UNICEF said Sunday that nearly 1 million children in areas affected by the earthquake are in "urgent need" of humanitarian assistance. UNICEF staff reported dwindling water supplies, power shortages and communications breakdowns.

Celebrities like singer Shakira sent tweets appealing for help for UNICEF. The mobile payment company Square created a "cashtag" to donate: cash.me/$unicef. PayPal announced it was waiving fees for donations to several aid organizations.

Information was still lacking about conditions at the earthquake's epicenter, Pickering said.

"Going forward it's about access to the epicenter, and helicopters are the key, but it's not clear whether they can be sourced and whether the high altitude is a problem," he said, adding that Save the Children has emergency kits pre-positioned in three warehouses in Nepal and plans to distribute bedding, buckets and other basic supplies to 2,000 families as quickly as possible.

Other charities face similar roadblocks.

International Search and Rescue Germany said a team of 52 relief workers including doctors, experts trained in searching for people buried under rubble and several dog squads are flying Sunday. The team will bring a mobile medical treatment center.

Spokesman Stefan Heine said the priority was to get to the scene of the quake as quickly as possible to find those still alive.

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