Nepal floods leave North Texas families searching and praying – NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth

At least two North Texas couples are missing after catastrophic flooding in Nepal, leaving families searching for answers as the local Nepalese community works to coordinate help.

Among the missing is a Plano couple whose relatives are holding on to hope.

“My first reaction was that cannot be true,” Sushil Ahuja said.

Another couple, Raghu Rajan and Archana Suresh, are also missing.

The longtime Murphy residents who have been married for 25 years were expected to cross the China-Nepal border Wednesday morning when the floods hit. Their phones last pinged that morning near a bridge that washed away.

“We know the severity of it, but still, you know, there’s a ray of hope for us to find our loved ones,” said Rajan’s sister-in-law Divya Chandrashekar.

The number of people missing climbed Friday to nearly 2,000 and casualty count is over 500.

Bijay Bhusal, president of the Nepalese Society of Texas, said the organization is working to help families affected by the disaster.

“We are trying to coordinate their family with the U.S. Embassy in Nepal, in Kathmandu,” Bhusal said.

Another North Texas family has also confirmed their loved ones are missing.

Bhusal said many people in the local Nepalese community have loved ones affected by the flooding.

“They’re trying to go to help their families and community from here,” Bhusal said.

One woman is trying to secure travel documents so she can search for her missing son.

“We’ve been connecting her to the CG in Dallas, and they’re working on her case,” Nepalese Society of Texas Secretary Prabis Stha said.

The disaster comes as the Nepalese community marks Janai Purnima, an annual festival during which men and women change their sacred threads, which offer health and wealth for the coming year.

But what would normally be a joyous celebration has become a time of anxiety and prayer for people whose thoughts remain with loved ones thousands of miles away.

“And we are very, so very worried about it. People are not happy. We had another festival coming, but we canceled that event,” Bhusal said.

Bhusal said the community is now focused on gathering donations for the official Nepalese government, as well as through its own GoFundMe.

“My heart is connected here, my blood is connected there, my soul is connected there,” Bhusal said.

As the toll from the deadly flooding continues to climb, festivities in North Texas are giving way to prayers.

“Please pray for God and pray for family, pray for community,” Bhusal said.

This story was originally reported for broadcast by NBC DFW. AI tools helped convert the story into a digital article, and an NBC DFW journalist edited it again before publication.