HOW TO HELP
1. BY TEXT - This is the quickest, most mindless way to help. Text GIVE NEPAL to 80088 to donate $10 (I believe you can give up to 3 times). Share it to all of your phone contacts. Make it spread like wildfire. Donations go to Global Giving (more info here). They are trying to raise $1,000,000, already at over $500,000.
2. RED CROSS - Again, there are many organizations providing relief over there, but Red Cross is something we all know and can get behind. The have committed an initial $300,000 of aid as well as 19,000 non-food relief kits which include clothes, kitchen sets, tarpaulins and mosquito nets. Make a donation here.
3. SAVE THE CHILDREN - Save the Children is an international charity that has been in Nepal since 1976 and is therefore in an really good position to help after years of operating within the country. Also, 10% of funds are going towards preparations for future disasters. Make a donation to their Nepal Earthquake Children’s Relief Fund here.
As many of you already know, there was a massive earthquake on Saturday near Katmandu, Nepal, a place that is very dear to my heart and memory. Katmandu is a very unique city, with amazing people, culture, food, landscapes, etc. But it is not a city that was designed to withstand a 7.8 magnitude earthquake. The death tolls broadcasted over the news have been seemingly "low" to begin with, but that number is starting to spike as more bodies are being found and the destruction is being dug through. As of this morning the toll is nearly at 4000 and I would imagine that number to rise over the next few days (10,000+?). It is absolutely horrible and devastating.
Nepal is one of the most beautiful places on earth, and for so many reasons. It's so hard to imagine that a lot of it has been completely flattened. In moments like these it is difficult to figure out one's place in the world. Why does this happen? Why them, not us? But it's better to ask how can I help? What can I do?
So, I ask you to help. Above are some recommendations of how you can do that. Personally, I made a donation to each of the 3 efforts I mention and I plan on heading out there as soon as I can to physically help out in any way I can. Please donate. Anything, really. Many of the people there have absolutely nothing, especially after the earthquake.
I have to mention Everest here. I have a lot of friends in the Katmandu region especially in the Everest region. Many of them had been climbing last year when the avalanche disaster abruptly ended their season. And now this. There haven't been official reports, but I'm assuming the 2015 Everest season (south side, at least) is now over. Thankfully none of my friends and Sherpa family that I know and am close to were hurt. All are safe. Although you can see my friend Kuntal running for his life in this instantly-viral video of the avalanche that happened at Base Camp as a result of the earthquake (he is okay too). See the video here. WARNING: It's a bit hard to watch. Some other climbers I know were at higher camps when this happened, so were technically "safe" (the main avalanche came off of Mt. Pumori, which is right next to Base Camp), but then the issue has been now, how do they get down? The routes below them are completely destroyed. From what I've been told, there have been helicopter rescues bringing climbers down. Communication from out there is sparse, but I believe most climbers are heading down to Lukla to hopefully try and head back home.