As thousands remain missing in Nepal five days after a devastating flood, Nepalese community members in North Texas remain hopeful to hear from missing friends and relatives.
Shraddha Shrestha, president of the Nepalese American Chamber of Commerce in Irving, said everyone with ties to Nepal has been impacted.
鈥淭he anxiousness, the waiting period has been tough for all the people who are far away from home and especially for people who have lost their loved ones,鈥� Shrestha said. 鈥淏ut there is still this hope that they are safe somewhere around and waiting for the rescue to happen.鈥�
Shrestha, who grew up in Nepal, has been living in North Texas for about a decade. The region is home to more than 20,000 Nepalese nationals. She said the Nepalese community has been growing in recent years and is one of the largest in Texas 鈥� with people choosing to start a business here and raise their families.
While she鈥檚 heard from her parents and a sibling who live in Nepal, not everyone has been able to get in contact with family members.
鈥淲ith the bigger community of Nepal with so many people missing, it still feels like losing part of the family,鈥� she said. 鈥�I think everybody is mourning through this disaster and everybody is mourning through the death counts, which have been rising each day.鈥�
The death toll is , with about 4,700 people still unaccounted for.
Among the missing are Deepak and Madhu Ahuja of Plano. Their daughter Shreya Ahuja her parents had finished the pilgrimage to Mount Kailash for her father鈥檚 60th birthday.
鈥淚 tried texting them; I tried calling them,鈥� Ahuja told Morning Edition.鈥� And initially I wasn鈥檛 too concerned. I feel like everyone thinks, what are the chances that they were in that exact spot.鈥�
A sense of unity
Shrestha said she鈥檚 been receiving calls from colleagues, businesses and people outside of the Nepalese community wanting to help 鈥� and has encouraged people to donate to the prime minister鈥檚 disaster relief fund to help get aid to workers on the ground.
鈥淲e all are together in this and we all have each other's back at this very, very sad moment,鈥� Shrestha said.
On Sunday, people gathered at the International Nepali Church for service, which takes place every weekend at the Our Redeemer Lutheran Church in Irving. The church serves about a 100 people, and caters to the Nepalese community, with service in Nepali language.
Church leader and founder Kris Kaphle told 四虎影院 this Sunday was different 鈥� some members lost family in the flood.
He said a friend whose family lives by the Trishuli River 鈥� which quickly flooded after a glacier near Nepal鈥檚 border with China collapsed -- is missing more than 60 family members.
鈥淭his sorrow, this sadness is everywhere," Kaphle said. 鈥淭he whole country, the DFW community in this church, in this area, all over.鈥�
He said in his sermon he was trying to 鈥渆ncourage people, lift them up.鈥�
鈥淭here is a hope, there is support,鈥� Kaphle said. 鈥淭here are people standing by and not just our community. Lots of other nations are standing with us, and they are willing to provide the help.鈥�
Priscilla Rice is 四虎影院鈥檚 communities reporter. Got a tip? Email her at price@kera.org.
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