A Magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck Nepal early Saturday morning, April 25, devastating the capital region of Kathmandu. Officials say more than 3,300 people are now known to have died, including 3,218 in Nepal—making it the quake-prone Himalayan nation's deadliest disaster in more than 80 years.

The Salvation Army's International Emergency Services team is en route to Nepal to support local officials and assess how best The Salvation Army can respond in partnership with other agencies already on the ground.

Families, the sick and elderly have been packed into parks and other open spaces in Kathmandu after losing their houses and others are too terrified of aftershocks to return home. The disaster also impacted the local Salvation Army personnel whose home was destroyed in the quake and who are living in the open like many other survivors.

Nepal is a country that has struggled with high unemployment, poverty and hunger for many years. The Salvation Army officially opened its work in Nepal in April 2009.

In response to this tragedy, The Salvation Army's World Leader, General André Cox, is calling on friends of The Salvation Army, other Salvation Army territories and its members, to financially support the relief effort underway in Nepal.

Click here to donate to the Nepal relief effort.