RELIEF SOUGHT FOR NEPAL

Disaster hits home for city residents

Saskatoon accountant Jib Lal Khanal has been frantically working all day and night, calling relatives in his native Nepal and organizing fundraising efforts here.

“People are buried alive. There is no water, no medical supplies. I cannot sleep,” said Khanal, president of the Nepalese Community of Saskatoon. “So many people are missing — Nepalese and foreigners.”

Saturday’s magnitude 7.8 earthquake and multiple aftershocks in Nepal, as well as the resulting Himalayan avalanches, have left more than 3,200 dead. Many more have lost their homes.

Khanal and some of the 400 members of Saskatoon’s Nepalese community met Sat u rday evening. They asked about each others’ families. They also decided to raise money for relief efforts. Khanal urged everyone to donate to the Red Cross, Oxfam, UNICEF and any other reputable organization working to help. He said the Nepalese community will be organizing its own fundraising effort, and can offer to help or donate at bibaskhanal@yahoo.com.

The ancient city of Kathmandu has been devastated. UNESCO world heritage sites have been levelled. Hospitals have been badly damaged, and are swamped with casualties.

Khanal spoke with a friend there who said there is only one functioning MRI machine left functioning in the entire country.

Another Saskatoon man, Nitya Khanal sat by his radio all weekend listening for the latest updates.

“We have lots of relatives there. We’ve talked to some and they’re all safe, but so many others have died. The (death ) count is still going up,” he said.

Saskatoon registered nurse Lorrie Dobni trekked in the Himalayas and raced a marathon near Mount Everest Base camp several years ago. She and other trekkers contributed to the expansion of a school in Nepal. Her guides and the schoolchildren were in her heart as she sought out some of them on social media over the weekend.

“They were all wonderful people. I hope they’re safe,” she said.

“I don’t know what it is about Nepal. They all treated us like family.”

NIRANJAN SHRESTHA/The Associated Press Rescue workers remove debris as they search for victims of an earthquake in Bhaktapur near Kathmandu, Nepal on Sunday. A strong earthquake shook Nepal’s capital and the densely populated Kathmandu Valley before noon Saturday, causing extensive damage...

PRAKASH MATHEMA/ AFP/Getty Images Nepalese residents mourn the death of a relative following the earthquake.

MATT SMITH/The StarPhoenix Members of the Nepalese Community of Saskatoon meet to discuss aid solutions for survivors of the 7.8 magnitude earthquake that shook Nepal on Saturday.

Jib Lal Khanal

Lorrie Dobni