Update #3 on Nepal earthquake deployment

This is a bit more of a personal update than we normally send out.

For much of today I couldn’t play an active role in the deployment. I was travelling across the UK and though I tried to keep in touch with what was happening via Skype I really couldn’t.

So when I dropped back in at the end of the day I was really, genuinely, blown away by the response. We have over 120 people on the deployment and have a long list of more people signed-up to join.

In fact so many people are working, we have had to do some work to make the tasks and the teams manageable so people don’t get lost in the chat room.

We are working alongside over 50 Nepali people currently outside the country who are using their knowledge and connections to build a better picture on the ground.

We are coordinating with many other partner organisations and receiving regular requests from different agencies to collect and process more data.

Soon we hope to be able to work with UAViators to analyse footage taken from UAVs.

People are working so hard, showing real passion, dedication and humanity.

When I checked in, at first, I felt really guilty that I hadn’t been able to help today.

I know that this is a very stressful and charged environment to work in. I could see how hard the volunteers, coordinators and other leads had been working.

Even though we are sitting at home, in our familiar surroundings, we can still really feel the pressure.

What we are doing is important. And it is amazing. We can take comfort from the fact that we are not alone, the people of Nepal are not alone and that in disasters people just like you from across the world will reach out to help human beings they will never meet.

But we must all also remember to take care of ourselves.

Know your limits. Worry about yourself as well as others. Take a break to play with your kids, to walk the dog or to listen to some music.

So I knew that I should not feel guilt. I should feel pride. And I really do. And you should too.

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