Aftershock ripples through CSC

“Mom! Mom! Mom, can you hear me?” No reply.

Desperate to get a call through to his family, Nabin Shrestha, 23, junior of Kathmandu, Nepal, had finally reached his mother. She uttered two words, “Babu (Nepalese for “son”), earthquake,” and the call was lost before she could hear her son’s response.

A 7.8 magnitude earthquake hit Nepal at 11 a.m., Saturday. Nepal is 12 hours ahead of Mountain Standard Time, so it was 11 p.m. MDT, Friday. Shrestha was in bed, recovering from an illness, and woke up to the news at 10 a.m., Saturday. He used Viber, a messaging app, and Skype to try to contact his family.

An hour after his call with his mother cut out, he reached his family again. “Don’t worry we are safe,” his mother said. In the midst of that sentence, she was experiencing an aftershock. One side of their house was unstable, so Shrestha’s parents and grandmother all moved to the room on the other side which had been reconstructed. His sister, 26, went to stay at the neighbor’s house. His whole family is currently sharing the food, water, and electricity at the neighbors’. Shrestha said the electricity comes and goes, and they usually only get 3-5 hours per day.

All of Shrestha’s friends and family are okay. However, as of 7:45 p.m., Wednesday, the death toll had reached 5,200. It is expected to exceed 10,000 in the days to come, as many people are still trapped in the village. It spurred an avalanche on Mt. Everest, killing 17 climbers and injuring at least 37 others, according to the New York Times.

Associate Professor of Economics and Finance Hem Basnet also has family and a house of his own back in Nepal. His story is similar to Shrestha’s. He woke up at 6:15, Saturday morning to missed calls from his nephew in Kathmandu, but could not get a return call through. He then turned on the TV and heard the terrible news. He finally contacted his nephew at 8 a.m. and found out that all of his family is okay. His own house did suffer some damage however.

Help from other countries is trying to reach those in need, but Shrestha said that the Nepalese government is complicating the recovery process. The money doesn’t seem to be reaching the victims. Aid from Taiwan was denied due to political conflicts. Shrestha said the people are upset, because they want to trust the government, yet they are not receiving the help they desperately need.

The worst earthquake Nepal has seen in 80 years has already cost so many lives, but it doesn’t stop there. Many of Nepal’s historical temples and buildings were destroyed. According to USA Today, UNESCO World Heritage Site, Dharahara Tower, which was built in the 1800s, crumbled to pieces. Basantapur Durbar Square, home to the royal family up until the 19th century, was demolished.

“Nepal will never ever be the same country,” Basnet said. “This tragedy will last for generations after generations.” He said that tourism is a big part of Nepal’s economy. The destruction of so many buildings will take a toll on that industry.

As finals week approaches, Shrestha has more to worry about than just tests.

“I feel helpless,” he said, “I would love to go back and help my neighbors and those who are in pain.”

Instead, he prays with his “om” pendant for the safety and  recovery of his country.