Nepal Earthquake

Soon after the 7.8 magnitude earthquake hit Nepal in April, AIG Travel’s global service centers began receiving calls from travelers, many trapped in remote mountain locations, including Mount Everest.

We immediately provided around-the-clock security information, medical consultations and other assistance services to help clients and initiated a plan to begin client evacuations. Recognizing the need for on-the-ground support, members of AIG Travel and AIG Global Security formed a crisis management team and swiftly deployed to the region. Upon arrival, the team established a central location to meet with clients, assess their medical needs and coordinate flights out of the country. This enabled a quick response to client needs and ensured a streamlined execution of operations. The crisis response team also took the following actions:

• Deployed an AIG Travel medical doctor to various client locations to assess the injuries and medical conditions of clients. 
• Coordinated efforts to rescue 38 clients trapped in remote mountain locations of Nepal, including Mount Everest, via helicopter. Clients were flown to Kathmandu, where they were met by the AIG Travel doctor and cleared to fly home. 
• Evacuated the first group of clients closest to Kathmandu, who boarded commercial flights out of the country within 72 hours of the earthquake.
• Conducted food and supply drops to clients in remote locations who were running low on critical supplies. 
• Coordinated hotel accommodations in Kathmandu, which served as a staging area for clients needing to evacuate. The team also conducted a thorough assessment of the hotel’s structural soundness, and conducted evaluations of the clients as they arrived. 
• Chartered a 737 airliner for a large-scale evacuation out of Nepal to New Delhi, India.
• Coordinated with a team of staff from AIG and TATA-AIG to meet with evacuees as they arrived in New Delhi. The staff helped with accommodations and coordinated onward commercial flights home.

“We put AIG’s vast global resources to work to accomplish one of our most complex emergency response efforts to date. In the face of many challenges, including inclement weather, blocked and damaged roads, and civil unrest, our response team deployed a variety of assets to carry out a mass evacuation of our clients.” – CEO, AIG Travel, Jeff Rutledge

In all, AIG Travel assisted more than 100 clients and partners by providing medical, security and assistance services, including 68 individuals who were evacuated via commercial and charter flights. Our crisis response activities in Nepal were coordinated and completed on May 2, 2015; only seven days after the earthquake struck.

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