County Activates Relief Fund to Help Earthquake Victims in Nepal

Alameda County officials announced they have reactivated the county’s disaster relief fund, and are encouraging county employees and residents to make donations to benefit earthquake victims in Nepal.

The Alameda County Board of Supervisors formally activated the fund in wake of the 7.8-magnitude earthquake that stuck Nepal on April 25.

The quake affected scores of people, including more than a million children, with deaths and significant damage reported in neighboring China and India, county officials said.

County employees have the option to donate up to 5 days of their accrued vacation time, compensatory time or holiday in-lieu time to the fund, in addition to cash donations, county officials said.

The county’s disaster relief fund was initially set up to respond to events such as the September 11, 2001 tragedy in the U.S., earthquakes in Haiti and Chile in 2010, the northern Japan earthquake and tsunami in 2011 and typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines in 2013, according to the county.

“It is time for our community to answer the call to help the people of Nepal who urgently need our assistance,” Alameda County Board of Supervisors President Scott Haggerty said. “We know that residents of Alameda County and throughout the Bay Area have been aided in their recovery from natural disasters in the past. We also know that our employees and communities always rise to occasion to help others elsewhere in times of tragedy.”

According to county officials, all contributions to the Disaster Relief Fund will go directly to earthquake victims in Nepal.

“In the past Alameda County employees and the residents of this community have been extremely generous in supporting others in times of crisis,” Alameda County Administrator Susan Muranishi said. “That’s why we have created our Alameda County relief fund, because it ensures that local donations will go directly to the people who need our support the most.”

Residents can make cash donations by sending a personal check payable to the Alameda County disaster relief fund, care of the Auditor-Controller Agency, 1221 Oak St., Room 238, Oakland CA 94612. Credit card and Paypal donations can be made online at www.acgov.org/government/news/disaster.htm.

--Bay City News

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