The search goes on in Nepal and Tibet after severe flooding swept away villages and left parts of that region covered in mud and debris on Aug. 27.
More than 1,300 people were killed and at least 5,000 are missing.
Nepali natives living in Utica are trying to stay in touch with their friends and relatives back home.
Utica is home to a number of immigrants and refugees, and while the Nepali community in Utica is relatively small, several of them have been staying in touch with one another to keep up on news about the recent devastating floods.
That includes Dev Narayan Chaudhary, who finished up a master’s degree program last year at Utica University. His family members in Nepal do not live in the area hit hardest by the flooding, but he said it’s still upsetting to see video of the destruction. When he first saw it, he said he initially thought it was generated by AI.
“But after the government confirmed that it’s real, it was like, ‘oh my God,’ a lot of houses, hydropower projects, whatever was there, it was completely swept away,” Chaudhary said.
Another student from Nepal who did graduate work at Utica University, Ashim Pandey recently took to social media.
“Me and other content creators, we have been posting it on social media, like Instagram, TikTok, and trying to spread the news so people could know about that and if possible, help from their side,” said Pandey.
He is grateful for the support received from students and staff at the Utica University campus.
“I’ve been blessed to have those people around me, my professors, administrative staff and even the people I meet on the street (who) know that I’m from Nepal,” said Pandey. “They try to reach out to me…asking (about) my parents and about the condition of Nepal.”
A melting Himalayan glacier above the village is to blame. Geoscientists suspect it gave way under stresses from climate change. Both Pandey and Chaudary said more needs to be done worldwide to combat climate change.