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Isabel Bustos\/The Cougar<\/p>\n
On Aug. 26, floods swept through Nepal causing massive destructions in the country. In the days since, the death toll has crossed 1,000<\/a> and thousands more remain missing.\u00a0<\/p>\n Nepalese students at the UH Nepalese Student Association\u00a0have responded to the devastating floods in their home country with shock and despair, while also finding ways to help from afar.<\/p>\n \u201cWe collected funds to donate over there so that they can help,\u201d said President of the NSA-UH Ganesh Lamichhane. \u201cI\u2019m also trying to communicate with my friends in Nepal so they can give some clothes, not just money and maybe food also.\u201d<\/p>\n Lamichhane\u2019s family lives just a few miles from the areas worst affected by the floods. Friends of friends have died trapped in hydropower tunnels, where hundreds of workers are trapped<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n This devastation weighs heavily on Lamichhane. He\u00a0hails from a hilly part of Nepal and worries about the ability for rescuers to reach people and distribute resources in remote areas with difficult terrain.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m a PhD student here, I have to do the research, but I am always thinking about what\u2019s going on,\u201d Lamichhane said. \u201cAre they alive or dead? Can they recover all the bodies or not?\u201d<\/p>\n He also voiced concerns about the broader impacts of the floods and widespread casualties on Nepal\u2019s linguistic diversity. Over 120 languages are spoken, many of them highly local.<\/p>\n \u201cLet\u2019s say there are 10 houses in one place and they wipe out all these houses,\u201d Lamichhane said. \u201cThey can speak a very particular language, so we are losing their culture, their language. It\u2019s a massive loss for us.\u201d<\/p>\n NSA-UH outreach officer Evyak Joshi first heard about the floods on social media, then through messages from friends and family. His initial reaction was shock and disbelief, both of which quickly morphed into concerns for his community.<\/p>\n However, despite being far away Joshi also hasn\u2019t been idle. His uncle is president of the Nepali Association of Houston and started a GoFundMe, as well as a fundraiser with Congressman Al Green. Joshi encourages people to support relief efforts locally, mirroring well with Lamichhane as well.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s honestly really hard being here and not able to physically help or be there with them. There\u2019s a helplessness that comes with watching this unfold from a distance,\u201d Joshi said.<\/p>\n The floods felt like reminiscent of the 2013 Uttarakhand floods in India, said NSA-UH Vice President Pratik Poudel, where he lost nine of his neighbors, including two family members.<\/p>\n Now, Poudel is able to empathize deeply with people who have lost their loved ones. He\u2019s keeping in touch with his family, who are near the flooded Narayani River but safe.<\/p>\n \u201cFor the most part, I don\u2019t feel that being in the U.S. has made me less helpful,\u201d Poudel said. \u201cIf I had been in Nepal, I don\u2019t know how much I could have done to alleviate the situation directly. By being here, I can continue working and contribute financially to relief efforts in ways that I might not have been able to otherwise.\u201d<\/p>\n Call for action<\/p>\n At the global level, Poudel believes that the floods highlight issues with early-warning systems and climate change preparedness. <\/p>\n