Nepal and Tibet floods discussion and information

I've started this thread as a general point to discuss the Nepal and Tibet floods, including what Australians can do if they wish to help.

How to help

If you wish to donate funds, I think it's best to follow links from reputable sources.

The Office of the Foreign Minister (Senator Penny Wong) has a statement directing people wishing to make donations to emergencyaction.org.au.

The Guardian also links to that same website (emergencyaction.org.au) for people wanting to donate.

Information

Collapsed glacier likely caused devastating Nepal-Tibet floods, scientists say [BBC]

Initial reports of an earthquake led many to believe that a tremor had caused a landslide, which in turn caused the flood that has killed at least 469 people.

However, the US Geological Survey then clarified that the disaster was caused by a "glacial collapse", which is when a glacier or part of a glacier disintegrates.

‘The house got carried 100 metres away’: some Nepal flood victims had minutes of notice. Others had seconds [The Guardian]

On Sunday the combined toll in Nepal and Tibet climbed to 781 dead and more than 3,000 people missing. Forty-three of them are Australians. The humanitarian crisis on the ground is huge – but aid, a large amount of it from Australia, has started to arrive.

An additional $3m, on top of $5m already announced, was confirmed on Monday morning.

Messages of hope from home: Hundreds attend vigils for Nepal and Tibet [ABC]

Almost 9,500 kilometres away from the ongoing rescue operations in Nepal, crowds gathered at King George Square in Brisbane for a candlelight vigil organised by city's Nepali community. Treasurer Jim Chalmers addressed the hundreds gathered to share a message of support for the Nepali community.

"We appreciate the Nepalese community every day, but on days like today we are there for you," he said.

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) committed a further 12 response personnel after eight arrived in Kathmandu this morning.