7,403 miles and a 22-hour plane ride away from Kathmandu, Nepal, the folks at the Mattapoisett-based All Hands Volunteers have been busy rallying a team of aid workers to help the earthquake-ravaged country.

All Hands Volunteers specializes in disaster response, said Executive Director and Mattapoisett resident Erik Dyson, and already has one man on the ground assessing the situation in the capital city.

“He’s camping outside. There is no electricity in Kathmandu,” said Dyson. “The very strong sense is that in the outer lying districts it’s really bad. That’s likely where we will quickly move to spend more of our time.”

An assessment team of staff and volunteers from Ireland, Iceland, Australia, England, Rowanda and America will arrive by the weekend. All are highly experienced in disaster relief, said Dyson.

The group will start removing debris left by the magnitude 7.8 earthquake and subsequent aftershocks.

“It’s hard, back-breaking work that takes a lot of people,” said Dyson.

They will also get working “safeing” houses.

“After an earthquake, houses are often structurally unsound and need to come down,” Dyson explained. “Our staff and team leaders are experienced, and they understand how to do this, so that families are not stuck with an unsafe structure that they decide to go back into or just can’t use the land because there is a house or building stuck in the middle of it.”

The All Hands team will work with other nonprofits to help with distribution of food and supplies and to organize “spontaneously unaffiliated volunteers” who often show up to help without any affiliated organization.

Dyson estimated that volunteers will work for four to five months on response, but he said, “It’s highly likely we will stay at least two years.”

The organization sets up a safe place for volunteers and provides them with three meals a day and transportation to and from work sites, if needed. All they have to do is get there.

“Some people may come for a week, some may come for a year,” said Dyson.

They're welcome as long as they work.

All Hands has a lot of experience setting up long-term aid programs. Volunteers continue to help with rebuilding and recovery in Brooklyn after Hurricane Sandy in 2012. Two years after Typhoon Haiyan devastated areas of the Philippines, All Hands volunteers actively provide support to the island of Leyte, and have built at least 400 houses, daycare centers, schools and other structures.

Dyson said locals benefit not only from better infrastructure but also from working alongside volunteers. Many are equipped to do construction work that may provide them with jobs in the future.

Although All Hands’ response efforts in Nepal are in the early stages, Dyson said 600 people from around the world have already signed up to help. He estimates that list will grow to 1,000 prospective volunteers by the end of next week. Volunteers are vetted before they hop on a plane to help.

The organization has also set up a website where donations can be made to the Nepal effort. Dyson said All Hands’ model is low cost to get the most benefit for the local people.

“We try to get in and make an immediate impact,” said Dyson. “Every dollar we raise we want it to have as much impact as possible.”

Anyone interested in volunteering in Nepal or any other All Hands project can visit hands.org. To donate to Nepal specifically, visit give.hands.org/helptonepal.