Safe in Canada

On April 25th just before noon, a magnitude 7.9 earthquake struck Nepal, devastating much of the country.  I was at my house in Kathmandu at the time, and ended up on the third floor balcony during the confusion of the initial quake.  I watched the walls around the perimeter of the house fall, and quickly made my way down and out of the building.  Many people had gathered in our yard as it was a more open space after the walls were down, and we experienced a large afterschock 20 minutes later, along with many other smaller quakes.  The situation had sunk in and everyone was in a state of terror.  Our volunteer coordinator came a few hours later to get me and we gathered with some of his family before I spent the night in one of the tarp villages with our maid.  It was mass confusion for the next three days until I got out, with zero help from the Canadian consulate and no chance of refuge or aid from the American or British embassies.  I had very luckily booked a flight two weeks earlier to London, England, to spend a month in Europe before surprising everyone and coming home in June.  Those plans have obviously changed, but I was extremely fortunate to get out when I did - food, water, and other supplies were already running low three days after the initial earthquake.  It took 72 hours to get back to Vancouver, with the help of family and friends organizing transit while I was already en route, and I am now back on the island.  Now learning of more of the devastation and knowing that this is only the beginning of the disaster, I know I am extremely fortunate to be safe and at home without even a scratch.  I was able to walk to the school through the still-standing but not in great shape downtown core to check the building and get word of the children.  The school was in good condition and a neighbour told me he thinks the children are safe for the most part.

This is only the beginning of the devastation.  Monsoon season is quickly on its way, and for a country that is already so underprivileged this is a major blow.  Many of the villages in the mountains have been completely wiped out, and disease and hunger will spread quickly in the current conditions.  I urge Canada and Canadians to give as much aid as possible, the biggest issue being actually getting the aid there.  With the only international airport already in bad condition, the situation is dire, and travel in and out of the mountainous country is somewhat treacherous in the best of times.  Please research charities before giving, and I will be coming up with some ways to donate and help in the coming weeks and months directly through my contacts in Nepal.