A magnitude 7.8 earthquake affected 8 million people in Kathmandu valley, Nepal, on Saturday, April 25, and relief efforts are still underway to reach all the damaged areas. The tremors left over 4,300 dead, 8,000 injured, and millions homeless. Humanitarian aid assisted the injured and recovered the bodies as a devastated Nepal mourns the destruction, according to AP. More than 90 percent of the houses were destroyed in the Gorkha district in Nepal, a small district where the epicenter of the earthquake was located, leaving thousands homeless. The houses had poor infrastructures, unlike some of the newly built concrete buildings that remain standing, reported AP. Those affected by the earthquake have a desperate need for food and clean water. Because of the disaster, citizens of Nepal have lost their livestock and homes and have no way of getting food without outside help. Most of the people were reported to be out of their homes working in the fields when the earthquake struck.Helicopters, soldiers, and humanitarian aid workers carried injured victims from Gorkha and other rural areas. Some were only reachable by helicopter because of jammed roads and landslides, according to AP. Weather problems such as rain, wind, and cloud cover have prevented some helicopters from landing in areas close to the epicenter. Soldiers have worked to send medical kits, water bottles, dehydrated food, sacks of rice and blankets to Gorkha, said AP. Nepal is famous for Mount Everest, the tallest mountain in the world. Eighteen people were confirmed dead from avalanches caused by the earthquake, which also damaged the base camp. Other unharmed climbers who desire to finish climbing the mountain are waiting for the government to allow them to proceed, said AP.Twenty-five people were found dead from the earthquake in Tibet, a neighboring country. According to AP, the Nepalese have nothing left, leaving this to be a long-term emergency requiring attention in the coming years.Deseret News reported that Bishnu Adhikari, a Nepalese Latter-day Saint featured in the film “Meet the Mormons,” is safe. He is coordinating a relief effort with the government.Jared McClellan, a sophomore from California studying political science, witnessed the aftermath of the earthquake and tsunami in Japan and said, “Japan is used to earthquakes. When an earthquake like this hits Nepal, more people are hurt.” He added, “I’ve met people from Nepal, and they are very kind and loving. They have a passion for helping the poor. I think this will cause people to band and stick together through these times of trial. It will give them a chance to show their love.”Social media has helped spread the awareness of the disaster and Facebook has started a fund-raiser to help those in Nepal. Bethany James, a freshman studying biology from New Zealand, was shocked when she first heard about the earthquake. She thought students should “donate money on Facebook” because fund-raisers would be able to help victims, who have lost their homes. James said, “I don’t think they have enough funds to make it more secure if they wanted to. If 90 percent of buildings collapsed, I don’t know if the funds provided would help.” Davisson Oliveira, a freshman studying computer science from Brazil, said, “I think we should be helping them through the church because the church has tools to help.” Students can help by donating through the LDS Church humanitarian aid fund, according to the humanitarian service website.May 21, 2015
Writer: Rachel Reed
