Trump Says US Has Offered Nepal ‘Any Help That They Need’ After Major Flooding

President Donald Trump said on Aug. 27 that the United States has offered to help Nepal with anything the country needs after a massive mudslide and flood devastated the Nepal–Tibet border region.

“We’ve called Nepal, and we’ve offered any help that they need,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office on Thursday.

Houses, bridges, and roads in communities located in the mountainous border region between Nepal and Tibet were swept away on Wednesday after a deluge of mud and rock accompanied severe flash floods.

As of Thursday, authorities in Nepal and China had confirmed that more than 390 people were killed, over 1,400 were missing, and hundreds were displaced across the region.

In a Thursday afternoon update, the Nepal Police said at least 389 people had been killed in Nepal, over 460 had been injured, and 910 were missing. Officials in Tibet, an autonomous region in China, reported that at least three people had been killed and 558 were missing.

Search efforts have been complicated due to the destruction of dozens of bridges and damage to nearly 25 miles of roads caused by mudslides and flooding, according to Nepalese officials.

The flooding in Nepal was caused by a “glacial collapse and debris flow” that resulted in “catastrophic impacts downstream,” according to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). The USGS had initially reported the incident as a magnitude 4.4 earthquake.

Trump called the destruction caused by the wall of water, mud, stone throughout Nepal’s border region “terrible” and “brutal” in comments to reporters on Thursday. He noted that the United States had a “very good relationship” with Nepal and would be providing assistance.

“Nobody’s ever seen anything quite like that where very powerful, strong, well-built buildings were wiped out like they were toothpicks,” Trump said, adding, “We are sending aid, and we’ve spoken to the leadership, and we let them know anything they want, we’ll have.”

The U.S. State Department confirmed Wednesday that it was closely monitoring the situation in Nepal and was deploying a disaster response adviser to the region. The department also said it would provide $500,000 in emergency assistance to flood-affected communities through Catholic Relief Services.

U.N. humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher announced Thursday that he had ordered the release of $2 million from the U.N. Global Emergency Fund to assist with water, medical care, and shelter.

Missing Americans in Nepal

A State Department spokesperson told The Epoch Times on Thursday that it was aware of about 90 Americans who may be impacted by the floods in the region.

“We can confirm that three American citizens have been safely rescued in Nepal,” the spokesperson said. “We are not aware of any U.S. citizen deaths at this time.”

The U.S. Embassies in Nepal and China are working with local authorities and tour agencies to assist U.S. citizens in affected areas as search and rescue operations led by Nepal continue, according to the State Department.

“The Trump administration has no higher priority than the safety and security of Americans,” the State Department spokesperson told The Epoch Times. “We extend our deepest condolences for the victims and to the families of all those affected.”

The State Department encouraged U.S. citizens in affected areas to follow emergency instructions given by local authorities, monitor local news, and enroll at STEP.state.gov for emergency information.

Addressing the missing U.S. citizens in Nepal, Trump told reporters Thursday that there were about 50 or 60 Americans in the area at the time of the flooding. However, he added that the United States did not yet have a full list of the missing individuals.

“We haven’t gotten the full list yet, but hopefully they’re OK. … Somebody will be lost, unfortunately,” he said.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told Fox News on Aug. 27 that while the Trump administration was offering to assist Nepal in the aftermath of the destruction, its main priority was finding and rescuing “every American that we possibly can.”

Arthur Zhang and The Associated Press contributed to this report.