Earthquakes - Melamchi, Nepal (I)
the adventure
"You were the first foreigners to come help us!"
At around noon time on 25 Apr in Nepal, a massive 7.9 Magnitude earthquake struck the mostly unsuspecting people of Nepal. In the rural and mountainous regions, whole villages were destroyed, land access cut off, and lives lost. For many weeks afterward, major aftershocks continued to plague the country, causing further damages and widespread fear among the people.
On 27 Apr, less than two days after the quake, I deployed with a Rapid Assessment Team (RAT) from RRI into Kathmandu. From there, we moved about 3 hours Northeast to Melamchi. Comprising some 30 villages, Melamchi served as a gateway to the highlands in the North.
We were fortunate to partner with a local Nepalese businessman who operated a rural micro-finance business. His team in Melamchi was very familiar with the village communities there. Serving as both guides and interpreters, his team members worked very well with us.
I will always remember Mahjiguan Village, the first low-caste village that we made contact with. The uphill hike with our backpacks was long, hot and tough, but it was the sight of near complete devastation and the stench of death in the village that will forever stay with me.
Many of the villagers suffered crush wounds, deep cuts, infections and bruises. Some would likely require amputations. As we started administering emergency medical treatment, however, we were amazed by the high pain threshold of both the young and old. Even though most were obviously in great pain, no one really screamed, moaned or cried out in pain.
We continued to serve many more villages in the hills as well as conduct needs assessment. We mostly hiked on foot to look for the lower-caste villages, and these tended to be located in the more remote areas of Melamchi. Throughout, we were continually exposed to the same vulnerabilities and threats of aftershocks as the people. It was a difficult but rewarding experience, being able to just offer some help to those who had lost their homes and loved ones. Their plight made us more determined to bring attention and help in our follow-on relief missions.
