Earthquake affects Nepal

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Although junior Ananda Poudel is miles away from home, he has always felt fond of his country.

    On April 25, an earthquake struck Nepal. The earthquake touched students emotionally and left them in shock.

   “I loved everything about my country, from its breathtaking view of the mountains to its famous buildings which were unfortunately destroyed by the earthquake,”  Poudel said. 

   Poudel left his country so he could be with his parents again.

  “I came here to the United States in 2008 because my  parents wanted me to come here and live with them,” Poudel said.

  Although Poudel left his country when he was a little kid but that has not kept him from feeling fond of his birthplace and worrying about what happens in Nepal.

  “At first, I was worried whether my relatives were safe or not and there was means of communication at the moment.  Later on after my relatives called to let us know that they were fine I was relieved,”  Poudel said.

    After waiting for hours, Poudel was glad that his family was safe and no one was harmed in the city where his family resides.

   “My  relatives that live in Nepal,  fortunately nothing happened to them,” Poudel said.

   Poudel and his parents are very close to their relatives that live overseas.

   The city of Kathmandu, Nepal was struck by an earthquake of a magnitude of 7.8 magnitude scale. The earthquake is known as Gorhka Earthquake, and it  is  the biggest disaster that has struck  Nepal since the 1934 Nepal-Bihar earthquake.

         Nepal is a country located in south Asia with a population of approximately 27 million people.

  Junior Shank Rai left Nepal when he was five years old, Rai recalls how Nepal has been in a bad condition even before the natural disasters.

  “Nepal was a mess before any natural disasters occurred. Nepal has been corrupt for a very long time and is economically and socially unorganized,” Rai said.

    Rai  found himself worried about whether his family was safe or not when he first heard of the earthquake.

   “Some of my relatives such as my aunts and uncles live in Kathmandu, which is very near the epicenter,” Rai said.

    Rai’s  reaction was mostly shock because he has family near where the earthquake struck the most.

  “My reaction when I heard about the earthquake was general shock. I was worried for my family members but I was relieved when I heard from my parents that my family was okay,” Rai said.

   Nepal has the  highest risk in terms of earthquakes. Floods, landslides and fires are  common disasters that have attacked the country over the years according to Disaster Preparedness Network.

According to The Times of India,  Gorhka Earthquake killed more than 8,413 Nepalis. About 14,000 people were injured across the country.

” Nepal is a terrible position and the nation is going to need as much help as it can possibly get so everything can be stable again,” Poudel said.

    A report by  Discovery News said that more than 1.7 million affected by the  earthquake live in most of the damaged areas by the earthquake, more than 3.5 million are in need of food assistance and  2.8 million Nepalis were displaced in different countries.

  According to the Washington Post, Fairfax County rescue group headed  to Nepal in order to search for and rescue those who are trapped in debris and are in other forms of distress.

  Structural engineers, 50 paramedics, medical personnel and dogs were sent by the county. Also they sent rescue experts with the goal to rescue people who are trapped.

  Poudel is thankful that people around the world are donating money and volunteering to help the injured.

  “I really appreciate [ the help] and I am pretty sure the people in Nepal do as well  that Fairfax County sent help to Nepal because it is going to help the nation return back to normal,” Poudel said.

  Many countries around the world have made donations. The United States, Japan, UK,  are one of the many countries that had contributed  to Nepal’s relief.

  Also, organizations such as Twitter, Facebook, United Nations, red Cross and UNICEF and CARE emergency,  have also donated money and sent volunteers.

  “I have made donations. Although it was not very much, I hope it still contributes to its recovery,” Poudel said.

Although Nepal was affected the most by the earthquake, other countries such as China, India, Bangladesh and Bhutan were also affected but not as much  as Nepal.

  However, with all the donations from different countries around the the world and donations from people and organizations,    Nepal’s government hopes to bring things all back to normal, put the disaster behind and move on.

   Every small amount of money or volunteering helps thousands of people and children that are in need  of shelter, food and clothes.

  You can go the website www.redcross.org and donate.