By all accounts, the recent earthquake in Nepal has been devastating. The number of dead is predicted to be in the thousands and the injured even more. Major structures of historical and cultural significance in Kathmandu have been reduced to rubble.
Aftershocks and even major shocks continued unabated for about 24 hours following the quake, I am told. The last time I saw reference to number of aftershocks and shocks it was over five dozen!
Yesterday, a dear friend summarized the feeling back home saying,”Really tired of being afraid!”
Here are links to some articles about the calamity.
- Some perspective on the calamity on New York Times : Ancient Collision Made Nepal Earthquake Inevitable
- Time photos of the devastation and relief efforts: See the Aftermath of the 7.8-Magnitude Earthquake in Nepal
- USA Today: Major aftershock hits Nepal as search for quake survivors intensifies
There are a number of ways you can support. If you are interested in supporting the people of Nepal by donating money, here are some links that might help.
- CNN: How to help victims of the Nepal earthquake.
- A very useful Google doc. It lists charities involved in relief efforts, a comparison of different fundraising platforms and lists individual fundraising campaigns to support disaster relief.
Please do your research and support causes that will ultimately benefit the victims.
Some useful links/resources:
- A list of places to get food and shelter in and around Kathmandu.
- Searching for a loved one? Want to inform your loved ones that you are alive? Click here to search or register.
- Facebook safety check. (Similar to the one above.)
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While I have been consoled by the facts that, firstly, all of my family members and relatives are well, secondly, most of my friends appear to also have escaped any or serious injuries, and, thirdly, the fact that most of their properties have escaped damage, I have been saddened by the injuries and death it has caused others, the damage it has caused to other’s properties as well as to structures of great historical and cultural significance and value.
Swaths of villages in the countryside I am slowly discovering have been reduced to rubble, sadly.
According to the most recent FB post, most of the structures in Thangpalkot, COMMITTED’s project site, and the neighboring VDC’s of Gunsa, Bhotang and Thangpaldap were no exceptions. Only 6 structures out of 600 in Thangpalkot, I understand, are still standing! Which means pretty much most of what COMMITTED has accomplished in the last half-dozen years are all gone!
Roads to the area have also been damaged which means access to the area would have to be either on foot or by air.
Jayjeev, my friend and colleague at COMMITTED is actively pursuing avenues to assist with relief in the area. We’ll be launching a fundraising drive to finance his efforts. Please return to this post for further details.
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Updates
11:38 am Update: Just came across this very well written piece about what those outside Nepal can do and shouldn’t do.
2:18 pm Update: Another article which rightly points out how Nepal’s relief effort must reach the rural poor. One is right to fear that all those funds and material assistance for relief and rehabilitation might just end up assisting mostly those in urban centers and those with “connections” at that, leaving the rural population to fend for themselves as has been happening throughout pretty much most of the history of the country of Nepal!
If you ask me, the rural population of Nepal have suffered and will continue to suffer more from the calamity.
2:29 pm Update: A page where you can report anything and everything to do with the earthquake, which they publish online, and more: Nepal Earthquakes 2015.
April 29 update: This follow-up post has more details on the aforementioned online tool.
April 30 Update: What we have already lost in terms of cultural and historical treasures and what may yet still fall through the cracks, as it were, and be lost forever.
NYT: Photographs of Earthquake Devastation in Nepal.
