When disaster hits home: diaspora engagement after disasters

Sudden natural disasters can create a massive need for immediate relief and long-term reconstruction efforts. Such support can come from various individuals and organizations, both within the country where the disaster occurred and increasingly from abroad. An important group who are becoming more active in providing such support of money and materials are the migrant and diaspora population living in other countries. This paper examines the role of Nepali migrant and diaspora population living in the United States after the 2015 earthquake in Nepal in their remitting behaviour, both in private and towards donations. Based on a web-based survey response analysis, this paper finds that the respondents were actively involved in sending back money to their families and towards relief efforts in Nepal after the earthquake but a strong trust deficit among the diaspora population in the US and agencies related to the Nepali government is also noted.