Driving hope to flood survivors

Long wait: a boy taking photos of the missing people notices on a wall outside Tribhuvan University teaching Hospital in Kathmandu, Nepal. — Reuters

KUALA LUMPUR: Efforts to collect essential supplies have paid off for Hani Othman, the wife of a missing Nepal flood victim, after she successfully filled a lorry with donations for fellow survivors.

Hani said she is now awaiting approval from the Nepalese ­government to enter the disaster area to distribute the aid.

“Thank you to everyone who contributed. We managed to fill one lorry. Now, we are just wai­ting for approval from the Nepalese government to allow me to enter the disaster area to distribute the aid,” she said in an Instagram post, as reported by Bernama.

Earlier, Hani uploaded a post showing her purchasing essential supplies for flood victims, hoping that her efforts would pave the way and create an opportunity for her to meet Malaysians sheltering in safe areas.

She had previously expressed her intention to join a volunteer team heading to a camp housing survivors in the hope of finding her husband, Mohd Fakhrul Munir Mohd Isa, 44, a member of the Fire and Rescue Department Special Air Operations Team.

However, Hani’s participation in the volunteer team is subject to the condition that she first provide donated supplies before she is allowed to be taken to the camp site.

To carry out the mission, she is aiming to prepare 200 survival kits containing essential items, including sanitary pads, toothbrushes, underwear, slippers, instant noodles, ready-to-eat food and solar-powered power banks.

Meanwhile, updates on Malay­sians affected by the floods in Nepal will only be released by the Foreign Ministry once the information has been verified.

“We are aware of reports circulating regarding an individual reportedly associated with a group affected by the flash floods in Nepal.

“The Malaysian Embassy in Kathmandu is currently seeking verification from the relevant Nepalese authorities.

“We will not speculate on the reports while the verification process remains ongoing,” its Commu­nications and Public Diplomacy Division said in a statement yesterday.

Wisma Putra said it would prio­ritise releasing verified information on individual cases directly to the next of kin.

“We respectfully request the media to allow this process to continue and to respect the pri­vacy of the families concerned.

“Any development appropriate for public release will be communicated once the relevant information has been verified.”