Nepal earthquake
 

Really feel bad for these people. I suspect most of the construction is concrete block and brick, so I would imagine there is mass destruction.

My son and I are scheduled to fly into Kathmandu on June 4 for 3 nights. What do you guys think? Should we go anyway and make the best of it, or try someplace else? We don't have hotel reservations yet. I have no idea how this affects accommodations in the city.

We're flying on award tickets, so changing flights at this point will not be easy.

I was in Christchurch a few weeks ago and wow, that place is still messed up 4 years after their quake.

Motion why don't you and your son go and help these people out. I bet it would be a great experience!

That's a great thought, but I don't know what we could do... maybe manual labor to help rebuilding? Should I contact the Red Cross?

I should talk to a buddy of mine who spent a lot of time in Haiti after their earthquake.

Contact the Red Cross, Oxfam, and Doctors Without Borders. I'm sure that they could guide you to the appropriate authorities.

See.... I guess I really am a selfish *********. I didn't even think of helping initially. I was more worried about my 4 star hotel reservations. Thanks MUCHO for the suggestion.

Not only would it be a great humanitarian experience in helping these poor people out but it would also rank quite high on the bucket list IMHO!

Go forth young man and send us some pics!

Not at all. Just an honest slip-er-ooo.

If I were in your shoes with a trip already planned, I'd certainly look into lending a hand somehow. What an opportunity. I know you'll keep us posted.

Rock on, Richard.

I heard that some temples that were thousands of years old were destroyed. Many casualties.

Simply going will inject some money into the local economy when they need it the most. In a lot of instances like this, locals need certain types of supplies more than money or help. I'm sure Red Cross will know.

Good friend of mine is a Nepalese lawyer who set up a crowdfund this morning if anyone would like to help.

Gotta link? I and my brother, (who climbed K2) would like to know...

https://www.crowdrise.com/helpnepalearthquake/fundraiser/friendsofnepal?fb_action_ids=10104413801218796&fb_ action_types=og.shares

"Dear friends and colleagues, a California 501(c)(3) non-profit I work with, Friends of Nepal, has set up an emergency relief fund for the victims and survivors of the recent 7.8 magnitude earthquake that struck Nepal. As most of you know, I grew up in Nepal and still have family there. Almost all of my family members have been accounted for and are safe, however there are hundreds of victims and survivors that will face critical shortages of food, water, electricity and medical services in the coming days and weeks. Nepal is an under-developed country and the government will not be able to provide the necessary services on the scale required. All donations made to the Friends of Nepal Nepal Earthquake Fund shall go directly to reputable and reliable non-governmental and non-profit organizations on the ground in Nepal such as the Red Cross, and shall be kept out of the hands of corrupt government officials and scam artists that will undoubtedly attempt to take advantage of the crisis. Thank you everyone for your help, every dollar counts and every dollar will go a long way."

I definitely don't want to discourage you from helping. But I would be careful showing up there in a week and a half unless you can get genuinely hooked up with an aid organization before you arrive that organizes your stay. And then I doubt 4 days will cut it for them. Take 2 weeks? There are travel advisories in place that don't sound terribly encouraging to me. What I'd worry about is disease with this many dead. You may arrive right in time for disease ... a lost flight may be a good trade ...

Keep us posted on this adventure. My heart goes out to the Nepalese.

G

The trip is over a month away, so I'd go.

Ooops. I missed the month May ... that changes the perspective significantly. By then things should have settled. Plus, you will have a lot more info.

G

Unreinforced masonry construction is the norm in a lot of the world (cheap and simple to construct) but offers virtually zero seismic protection. Until construction methods improve globally we'll continue to see horrific damage and catastrophic loss of life every time the earth moves.

Truly sad. I feel for these people - they've got it hard enough to start with.

FYI: here's a webpage with ways to help: CLICKY

Prayers to the families....

Truly a tragedy for such a poor country. Also prayers for those who died on Everest.

I've been there a couple of times to do some Himalayan trekking. My wife and I love the place. The people are so warm, tough and resourceful, it gives me hope that this event will be handled as well as it can be. We have a number of friends there and must try to contact them. The quality of the building is absolutely shocking. Many store fronts have multiple floors of residential built of masonry sitting on very light timber beams. Not a good scenario for earth quakes. To the OP, if you choose to go you must treat this as an adventure and not have tight timing constraints. Even at the best of times, Nepal is not on a western schedule....plans often change without notice, flights and buses change, etc. Is your Hotel in Thamel? How has it survived? I'm not in any way discouraging you to go but you should be prepared for what you may experience. Kathmandu (even without the earthquake) assaults the senses, kids playing on ancient monuments, bodies floating down the river, skinny monkeys hanging out at temples....etc...etc. In short, everything is "amped" up. Have a great trip

I'm unsure of the state of the infrastructure and our ability to fly there, then stay at a hotel that isn't damaged, and also just basic things like getting around the city and eating food. I suspect its going to be a while before any of these things will be attainable. I figure I'll give it a couple weeks, then try and communicate with some hotels to see what the picture is. If its optimistic, we'll go.