Nepal Earthquake 2015:  Direct Relief, a medical relief organization, active in all 50 states and in 70 countries, made its entire current medical supply inventory, valued at $100 million available as well as an initial cash commitment of $50,000 for the immediate deployment of emergency medical response personnel and essential health commodities to help victims of the  magnitude 7.8 earthquake in Nepal.

"In Kathmandu Valley, hospitals are overcrowded, running out of room for storing dead bodies and also running short of emergency supplies," the United Nations said in a situation report on the Nepal earthquake. "There are reports that the hospital stocks are depleting/used up and there is a need for a government decision on bringing kits from the military."

The UN report also noted most people are staying outside for fear of aftershocks.

Direct Relief offered assistance to several Nepal-based hospitals, delivery centers, midwifery programs, and other health-service delivery organizations, as well as partner organizations in India that are responding to the emergency.

"The emergency response in Nepal will be particularly complex given the high altitude and mountainous terrain, the landslide damage to road infrastructure, the lack of landing access for fixed-wing and rotary wing aircraft in remote areas, the damage to communication lines, and the distances between affected communities," Direct Relief said in a statement.

Direct Relief works in close collaboration with local groups and the government in Nepal, which have requested international assistance Direct Relief has reached out to the local organizations best positioned to understand local needs and inform external assistance.  Such groups include Himalayan Health Care, One Heart World Wide, Patan Hospital, Possible Health, and Rescue Network Nepal.

One of the organizations Direct Relief will help is Doctors for You, an Indian organization that deploys a medical team Monday local time. Direct Relief will also continue to work with other international organizations involved in the emergency response.

Direct Relief will continue to collaborate with these industry partners to provide additional resources as needed. This may include materials for bone fractures, wound-care supplies, antibiotics, oral rehydration solutions, antidiarrheals, vitamins and nutritional supplement--each of which proved critical following disasters including the 2005 quake in northern Pakistan, which claimed 80,000 lives, and the massive 2010 earthquake in Haiti.

In this effort, Direct Relief draws on its experience aiding in the aftermath of a 2008 quake in Kashmir. Like then, this crisis will be characterized by the hugely complex logistical challenge of responding to the unfolding emergency in both cities and remote mountainous rural villages. The emergency response will be centralized in severely affected urban centers, and decentralized in remote and inaccessible rural villages.

Direct Relief's initial commitment of $50,000 is from its general funds, and not dependent on whether the organization receives contributions designated for this particular event.

Direct Relief is the only U.S. nonprofit to obtain Verified Accredited Wholesale Distributor accreditation by the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy. The organization has been among the world's largest medical suppliers to West Africa in response to the Ebola epidemic, to the Philippines following Typhoon Haiyan, and to Haiti after the 2010 earthquake.

Direct Relief has top charity ratings, including four-stars from Charity Navigator and a 100% fundraising efficiency rating from Forbes magazine.