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| 'I feel a part of me being lost': readers' stories of the Nepal earthquake | 'I feel a part of me being lost': readers' stories of the Nepal earthquake |
| (less than a minute earlier) | |
| Wout de Jong was travelling with his partner when the earthquake struck. They were near the town of Bandipur, about 80km outside Kathmandu. | Wout de Jong was travelling with his partner when the earthquake struck. They were near the town of Bandipur, about 80km outside Kathmandu. |
| Traveler in rural area just outside Kathmandu | Traveler in rural area just outside Kathmandu |
| We are a Dutch couple traveling in Nepal. We we were just outside a big cave just outside of Bandipur when everything started rumbling. The shaking became unreal and went on for such a long time. When we got back to the village over 20 houses were down and people were panicing with every aftershock. Screaming and running out of their houses. Our guesthouse wall was out and our beds full of bricks and rubble. Right now people here sleep outside in tents close to bonfires. Mostly the poor people have been struck by the earthquake with their badly build houses reduced to rubble. Some tourists took it up themselves to help where they can but it's still dangerous and some buildings still go down due to aftershocks. So far we don't know what the conditions of the roads are and are suggested to stay where we are until the minor shocks calm down. | We are a Dutch couple traveling in Nepal. We we were just outside a big cave just outside of Bandipur when everything started rumbling. The shaking became unreal and went on for such a long time. When we got back to the village over 20 houses were down and people were panicing with every aftershock. Screaming and running out of their houses. Our guesthouse wall was out and our beds full of bricks and rubble. Right now people here sleep outside in tents close to bonfires. Mostly the poor people have been struck by the earthquake with their badly build houses reduced to rubble. Some tourists took it up themselves to help where they can but it's still dangerous and some buildings still go down due to aftershocks. So far we don't know what the conditions of the roads are and are suggested to stay where we are until the minor shocks calm down. |
| Sent via Guardian Witness | Sent via Guardian Witness |
| By Wout De Jong | By Wout De Jong |
| 27 April 2015, 10:56 | 27 April 2015, 10:56 |
| De Jong is unable to leave Bandipur for now and he describes the situation on Tuesday. “There are places where tents have been constructed and bonfires, where most people sleep out of fear of aftershocks. Because of all the confused reports in the news, local elders sometimes think earthquakes will hit on exact times and they start running at every minor rumbling sound or aftershock. The fear is very big. News of surrounding mountain villages that have been completely swept away has been coming in (I can’t confirm this) and I think many people here have family members living in these villages and they keep trying to make contact.” | De Jong is unable to leave Bandipur for now and he describes the situation on Tuesday. “There are places where tents have been constructed and bonfires, where most people sleep out of fear of aftershocks. Because of all the confused reports in the news, local elders sometimes think earthquakes will hit on exact times and they start running at every minor rumbling sound or aftershock. The fear is very big. News of surrounding mountain villages that have been completely swept away has been coming in (I can’t confirm this) and I think many people here have family members living in these villages and they keep trying to make contact.” |
| We’ve also had some responses from people sharing their experiences with us on twitter. | We’ve also had some responses from people sharing their experiences with us on twitter. |
| @GuardianWitness I was 15 miles away from the epicenter and this was what the very first tremor looked like... pic.twitter.com/DPnCHJtdc8 | @GuardianWitness I was 15 miles away from the epicenter and this was what the very first tremor looked like... pic.twitter.com/DPnCHJtdc8 |
| @guardian @GuardianWitness we were having our class when the #quake hit. | @guardian @GuardianWitness we were having our class when the #quake hit. |
| @guardian @GuardianWitness we still do have food firewood and a limited supply of water. | @guardian @GuardianWitness we still do have food firewood and a limited supply of water. |
| @guardian @GuardianWitness it's cold and we are burning firewood to keep ourselves warm. pic.twitter.com/koWlwY5KW2 | @guardian @GuardianWitness it's cold and we are burning firewood to keep ourselves warm. pic.twitter.com/koWlwY5KW2 |
| @GuardianWitness Hospitals shifting patients to ground floor corridors, lobby's and compounds #NepalEarthquake #patan pic.twitter.com/SKFBdeS0X9 | @GuardianWitness Hospitals shifting patients to ground floor corridors, lobby's and compounds #NepalEarthquake #patan pic.twitter.com/SKFBdeS0X9 |
| Mick Cathcart was heading towards Everest Base Camp on the Tibetan side, where there was no evidence of the earthquake. His group was told to return to Tibet’s capital, Lhasa and he describes his encounter with Chinese troops joining the humanitarian effort. “En route from Everest Base Camp to Lhasa we encountered huge Chinese troop convoys heading down the Friendship Highway towards Nepal. Firstly it was troops only, then came a bizarre convoy of JCBs, which will probably take months to arrive at the speed they were travelling. Then another convoy of JCBs, this time on low-loaders. There were several other convoys whose purpose was less obvious though one was of trucks laden with goods. Each convoy was of between 30 and 50 vehicles and we encountered a minimum of 6 of them between Tsigatse and Lhasa.” | Mick Cathcart was heading towards Everest Base Camp on the Tibetan side, where there was no evidence of the earthquake. His group was told to return to Tibet’s capital, Lhasa and he describes his encounter with Chinese troops joining the humanitarian effort. “En route from Everest Base Camp to Lhasa we encountered huge Chinese troop convoys heading down the Friendship Highway towards Nepal. Firstly it was troops only, then came a bizarre convoy of JCBs, which will probably take months to arrive at the speed they were travelling. Then another convoy of JCBs, this time on low-loaders. There were several other convoys whose purpose was less obvious though one was of trucks laden with goods. Each convoy was of between 30 and 50 vehicles and we encountered a minimum of 6 of them between Tsigatse and Lhasa.” |
| Members of the Nepalese diaspora have spoken about their feelings of helplessness from afar. Here is Ketan Jung Dulal, who was raised in Kathmandu: | Members of the Nepalese diaspora have spoken about their feelings of helplessness from afar. Here is Ketan Jung Dulal, who was raised in Kathmandu: |
| Emotional Pain | Emotional Pain |
| I was born and grew up in Nepal. My parents, brothers and sisters still live there. Although I have lived in different countries during the past 13 years I consider Kathmandu my home. I have vivid memories of the temples, streets, shops and it is I think a part of my identity. But the images I see from home has shattered my soul. When I see the ancient buildings being devastated, I feel some part of me being lost. Nepal is generally a very religious country and many people take religion very seriously.After living in western countries (Europe and North America), and converting myself to atheism I thought I would live my life as much rationally as I can. But the emotions that I now see are too much to take. Although my family members say that everything is o.k. I know they are psychologically affected. We all Nepalese, need to be healed. We need to be healed through religion or any other ways. As being an atheist, I do not know how I can reconcile my thought with all the emotions overwhelming me. | I was born and grew up in Nepal. My parents, brothers and sisters still live there. Although I have lived in different countries during the past 13 years I consider Kathmandu my home. I have vivid memories of the temples, streets, shops and it is I think a part of my identity. But the images I see from home has shattered my soul. When I see the ancient buildings being devastated, I feel some part of me being lost. Nepal is generally a very religious country and many people take religion very seriously.After living in western countries (Europe and North America), and converting myself to atheism I thought I would live my life as much rationally as I can. But the emotions that I now see are too much to take. Although my family members say that everything is o.k. I know they are psychologically affected. We all Nepalese, need to be healed. We need to be healed through religion or any other ways. As being an atheist, I do not know how I can reconcile my thought with all the emotions overwhelming me. |
| Sent via Guardian Witness | Sent via Guardian Witness |
| By Ketan Jung Dulal | By Ketan Jung Dulal |
| 28 April 2015, 18:57 | 28 April 2015, 18:57 |
| As aid trickles into Nepal, many victims in outlying regions of the country continue to go it alone. GuardianWitness user amelzz recently returned from Nepal after volunteering with aid agency Restless Development. Amelzz said there was a fear rural communities would be left behind in the initial stage of recovery: | As aid trickles into Nepal, many victims in outlying regions of the country continue to go it alone. GuardianWitness user amelzz recently returned from Nepal after volunteering with aid agency Restless Development. Amelzz said there was a fear rural communities would be left behind in the initial stage of recovery: |
| “The organisation that I volunteered for, supported people in outlying communities in the Dolakha region and it is these communities which will need urgent help. Rural towns and villages will be receiving delayed support, and the aid that they do receive I can’t even imagine how it will be delivered. The roads in Nepal were already a task to drive along, due to the mountainous region and unequipped vehicles and with the added damage from the earthquake I can’t see how mandatory supplies and help will be delivered to suffering people. International aid needs to be sent so that the correct form of transport will be used to get to remote and outlying communities. While Kathmandu is evidently in devastation, I don’t want rural communities to be forgotten or given less attention.” | “The organisation that I volunteered for, supported people in outlying communities in the Dolakha region and it is these communities which will need urgent help. Rural towns and villages will be receiving delayed support, and the aid that they do receive I can’t even imagine how it will be delivered. The roads in Nepal were already a task to drive along, due to the mountainous region and unequipped vehicles and with the added damage from the earthquake I can’t see how mandatory supplies and help will be delivered to suffering people. International aid needs to be sent so that the correct form of transport will be used to get to remote and outlying communities. While Kathmandu is evidently in devastation, I don’t want rural communities to be forgotten or given less attention.” |
| You can see the rest of the stories, or share your own, on GuardianWitness. | You can see the rest of the stories, or share your own, on GuardianWitness. |
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