When Tragedy Happens

When tragedy strikes, we are never prepared.  No amount of emergency planning really prepares us for the panic, anguish, and worry that are happening to us.  We like to hope that should something happen, that we can depend on help and that life will go on around us, waiting for us to rejoin our regular world.  

For those of us in North America, it is hard to fathom the desperation being faced in Nepal now, following the massive earthquake and aftershocks in the past few days.  Death, injuries, loss of shelter and everything you owned ... these things are devastating.  But this is made so much worse when it is almost impossible to count on rescue efforts being in time to save those who are left.  With roads destroyed, no power, and overwhelmed emergency services, the terror must be overwhelming, beyond anything one could imagine.  

http://www.gofundme.com/t4r2vg tells the story of a family in a small village near Kathmandu.  This family is connected to me personally.

I have been particularly upset because my son is closely tied to a special family who lived in the rural area near Kathmandu, one of the hardest hit areas.  Less than two years ago, he was working on a Master's thesis and wanted to go to Nepal to do research.  He was invited to stay with this family by their oldest daughter, who lives and works in Europe so she can  send money home to support her parents and siblings.  This family met him at the airport with welcome signs, and took him to their home where he was treated as their son.  Not only did they supply food and lodging, but they included him in their daily family life.  The mother accompanied him to the market to help him barter when he needed to buy a camera.  The daughters and mother translated interviews and reports for him.  During power outages, referred to as "load shedding", the family gathered to talk and play music together.  Despite strikes happening in the city, they promised to get him safely to the airport for his return flight, at risk to their own safety.  My son will forever consider these people as family.

On Saturday, we learned of the earthquake.  The oldest daughter in Europe was able to contact her sisters in Nepal.  They had survived but were afraid to be inside their house due to possible structural damage and the aftershocks.  This meant they were huddled outside in the rain, in shock, cold, wet, and without food or water.  The following morning, during an aftershock, their house was destroyed.  They were suddenly homeless and had lost everything they owned.  

I do not think they have had time to mourn the loss of their home, because survival is the ongoing challenge now.  They have no power, so they cannot recharge their cell phones to call for help or to stay in touch with anyone.  Then again, there is no one to call.  No neighbors can help; their entire village is in the same circumstances.  Estimates are that perhaps 70 - 80 per cent of all rural homes were destroyed.  Roads are damaged.  I expect that even if the roads were okay, vehicles are not able to obtain fuel.  And where would one go?  Hospitals are filled to overflowing, stores are destroyed, and of course, power is out.  Personal identification papers are gone, so even if one could get to a bank and it was open for business, it would be impossible to access your account, if indeed you had anything in that account.  The massive numbers of suddenly homeless people means that tents and tarps for shelter, sanitary supplies, cooking utensils, blankets, dry clothes, food and water ... all of these things that we take for granted ... there is nothing left to purchase.  There is no way to purchase necessities even if one has money.  There is only a growing desperation as the death toll climbs, and those who were healthy a week ago become ill from exposure.

I have prayed for these people and especially for this family.  It is hard to know what to pray for them to receive, because they need so much.  I think of the photos I saw of this family and their aunts, uncles, and cousins.  How desperate the parents must be as they are unable to help their children as they have nothing left.  How horrible to think that, if they survive the immediate danger, that it is hard to think of the hard road that lies ahead.  

Monsoon season is coming in late May, and will bring even more despair with mudslides and the unrelenting rain.  How can a family, how can a village and a nation, hope to survive in tents?

The need to help is immense.  I see on the news that large organizations and many countries are sending aid to Kathmandu.  Outside the city, the small villages are unaware that any aid has arrived.  The family that I know was reached by phone yesterday (Tuesday); no one had come to their small village; they are unable to count on any aid reaching them in time for it to matter.

 Money cannot purchase the things that are needed as the stores in Kathmandu are closed, out of stock, and/or in some cases, price gouging means only the highest bidder can purchase desperately needed supplies.  

The oldest daughter and her fiance are trying to purchase supplies and send them directly to Nepal from Europe by air.  They are raising money to do this, both for the cost of supplies and of shipping. I contacted her via Facebook, and we are now, in Facebook terms, "friends".  I chatted online with her yesterday.  She would like to fly to Nepal herself and bring supplies, but extra people are really just going to be a burden there, unless they are trained rescue personnel.  She is obviously distraught thinking about the helplessness of her family and their neighbors.  Along with her fiance and his sister, a GoFundMe appeal has been launched, in addition to asking that money could be sent directly to her via PayPal.  She wants to help the entire village because there is little chance that any aid organization will get there in time.  And in case you are wondering, like I was, she has arranged for a friend in Nepal to go to the airport to receive supplies that she will be shipping.  The friend will no doubt face delays and long lines at that airport, but is one of the lucky ones that survived and also has access to transportation.  We all pray that the supplies will reach the village in time.

I have sent an initial donation via PayPal directly to this young woman, and hope to contribute more in the near future.  Meanwhile, I pray that some of you will find it in your hearts to donate something -- any amount at all -- to help save the lives of this family and those in their village.  I also am asking for your prayers.  While I have never met this family, they are in my heart, and I know that I love them all dearly.

Their story is told, along with pictures, at:  http://www.gofundme.com/t4r2vg  From the bottom of my heart, I thank you for any support you can give.  May God bless us everyone, and may none of us ever experience a tragedy like this again.

I can answer questions about the fundraising efforts and about this family and their village.  Leave a message, and I will get back to you.